Valve released the April VRS update on April 6, 2026, locking in the invited teams for IEM Cologne Major 2026. The list has some major surprises: FaZe Clan, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and Fnatic all missed out, while several tier 2 teams earned their spots.
The tournament is the first CS2 Major in Cologne in ten years, players and fans call Cologne “the Cathedral of Counter-Strike.” IEM Cologne 2026 is also the first Major where all Stage 3 matches will be played in a best-of-three format.
What is the VRS?
Valve Regional Standings (VRS) is Valve’s points system that determines team invitations to CS2 Majors. Points accumulate from tournament results over a six-month rolling window. The April 6 update was the final snapshot before Cologne Major invites were sent out, after that, the standings were frozen.
Invites are distributed across three stages based on global ranking: the top 8 receive direct Stage 3 invites, the next 8 land in Stage 2, and the remaining 16 enter at Stage 1.
All 32 teams
Stage 3 EU: Team Vitality (world’s top-ranked team, tournament’s top seed), Natus Vincere, MOUZ, Team Falcons, G2 Esports, Astralis.
Stage 3 Americas: FURIA.
Stage 3 Asia: The MongolZ.
Stage 2 EU: Team Spirit (dropped lower than expected), GamerLegion, BetBoom, HEROIC, FUT Esports.
Stage 2 Americas: paiN Gaming, 9z, Legacy.
Stage 1 EU: BIG, B8, SINNERS, GamerLegion (second EU slot), Gentle Mates, Alliance.
Stage 1 Americas: M80, Sharks, MIBR, NRG, Gaimin Gladiators, Team Liquid.
Stage 1 Asia: TYLOO, THUNDERdOWNUNDER, FlyQuest, Lynn Vision (controversial invite, see below).
Biggest surprises
FaZe Clan missed a Major for the first time since 2016, ending a ten-year attendance streak. The team was eliminated by BIG at HLC Belgrade PRO 2026 just before the VRS cutoff.
Ninjas in Pyjamas and Fnatic also failed to qualify, despite both being historically significant names in the CS scene. Stage 1 is full of surprises, with several tier 2 teams earning their spots through months of grinding smaller events.
Lynn Vision’s qualification drew immediate controversy. The team secured the critical VRS points they needed through opponent forfeits rather than match wins. The spot is technically valid within the rules, but the community has criticized how easily the VRS system can be gamed.
Tournament details
IEM Cologne Major 2026 runs June 2–21, 2026 at the LANXESS Arena in Cologne, Germany. Prize pool is $1,250,000. The format is three Swiss stages followed by an eight-team single-elimination bracket. All Stage 3 matches will be best-of-three — a first in Major history.
