For decades, Brazilian teams have been the undisputed gatekeepers of Latin American Counter-Strike on the world stage. Teams like MIBR, Luminosity, and FURIA built a dynasty so complete that “LATAM CS” and “Brazilian CS” became functionally synonymous. That era just got its first real crack.
9z Team, an Argentine esports organization, has officially reached the playoffs of the IEM Cologne Major 2026, becoming the first Latin American squad without an all-Brazilian core to hit that milestone in Counter-Strike history.
How they got here
The IEM Cologne Major 2026 uses a Swiss system format for its group stages, meaning teams need to win three rounds before losing three to advance. 9z navigated those waters with a mix of composure and outright audacity.
The signature moment came against Team Vitality, one of the most established organizations in all of Counter-Strike. 9z found themselves down in the series, staring at elimination, and proceeded to reverse sweep Vitality to advance. In English: they lost the first map, then won the next two to take the series.
