The quarter-finals of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoffs are about to begin. G2 will play Team Spirit, followed by Falcons against Vitality at the LANXESS Arena.
The two matches are officially quarter-finals, but they will decide who reaches the semi-finals. Spirit, G2, Falcons and Vitality all arrive with enough star power, recent history and pressure around them to make June 19 one of the most exciting esport matches of the year.
Spirit and G2 begin the playoff action
Spirit vs G2 is one of the strongest quarter-final matchups in the tournament. Spirit came into Cologne with the one thing every team hates facing in a best-of-three: firepower that can put opponents under pressure from the start.
That starts with donk, but it does not end with him. Spirit’s current lineup has enough structure around its stars to avoid looking like a one-player project. sh1ro gives them a calmer second point of pressure, while magixx, zont1x and tN1R complete a team that has looked comfortable playing high-tempo Counter-Strike without losing control of the game
G2’s job is to slow that down without giving up the aggression that makes them dangerous. The team has undergone changes, but expectations have not changed. Hunter remains a key figure in the team, while SunPayus, NertZ, HeavyGod and MATYS give G2 a different kind of look from the old lineups that fans still compare everything against.
That is what makes this match interesting. Spirit looks like the cleaner contender on paper. G2 have enough individual skill to put pressure on the favourites if the series starts evenly.
G2 need control more than hero rounds
The danger for G2 is falling into the kind of game Spirit enjoy. If rounds become unpredictable, opening duels have a major impact, or donk gets off to a strong start, G2 could spend the series trying to recover rather than control the game.
Their path is not complicated, but it has to be disciplined. They need early map control, clean trading, and enough late-round patience to stop Spirit from taking advantage of every opportunity. SunPayus could be the most important piece in that plan. If he keeps Spirit honest and wins enough of the AWP battles, G2 have a path to victory.
There is also pressure on G2’s newer pieces to hold up on stage. Cologne is not a soft playoff environment. It is loud, unforgiving and very good at exposing teams that look comfortable online or in group-stage setups but still struggle under the pressure of a large crowd.
For G2, this is less about proving they can produce a big upset and more about showing they can still rank among the top teams at the Major. The team has the names. Tonight is about whether it has control.
The Falcons vs Vitality match has several key storylines heading into the game
The second match attracts attention for different reasons. Falcons vs Vitality brings former teammates, huge names and one of the most expensive-looking rosters in Counter-Strike into the same server.
Falcons have karrigan, NiKo, m0NESY, TeSeS and kyousuke. The team has plenty of talent, but results are not decided by reputation alone. They have faced several challenging moments, and Cologne gives them a stage where reputation alone will not carry them.
Vitality arrive with the cleaner championship identity. apEX, ZywOo, ropz, flameZ and mezii give them a lineup that knows what it is supposed to look like when the pressure rises. They have enough structure to survive bad patches inside a series and enough individual brilliance to steal rounds that should already be gone.
The key difference is trust. Vitality usually look like a team that understands how it wants to win. Falcons can look terrifying when the pieces click, but they still invite the same question every superteam faces: can all that talent become reliable when the match gets tight?
NiKo and m0NESY give Falcons a real upset route
Falcons have multiple ways to challenge Vitality. NiKo and m0NESY alone make them dangerous on any map, and karrigan gives the team a leader who has seen every version of playoff Counter-Strike. If Falcons get strong starts,force Vitality to play with limited resources, and keep ZywOo from taking over the middle of rounds, this can become a much closer match than the seeding suggests.
The problem is that Vitality handles pressure well. ZywOo gives them the best kind of safety net, while ropz strengthens Vitality's late-round play. flameZ can change the pace when Vitality need aggression, and apEX has enough experience to keep the team from drifting when the arena noise starts to rise.
This is where the match should be decided. Falcons can win stretches through raw quality. Vitality are better built to win a full series through control, adaptation and the ability to stay calm when the map turns ugly.
If Falcons win, it would be one of the biggest statements of their project so far. If Vitality handle them cleanly, it would indicate that they can still be trusted to deliver in important matches.
Cologne is where the Major starts feeling ruthless
The first days of a Major can be about survival, form and sorting out which teams belong in the final bracket. The LANXESS Arena is different. Once the playoffs begin in Cologne, every mistake becomes more costly because there is no lower bracket.
That is why tonight's matches are important for the tournament as a whole. Spirit can further establish themself as the tournament’s most dangerous team. G2 can change that narrative and show that their rebuild is progressing faster than expected. Falcons can turn a high-cost roster into a real title threat. Vitality can remind everyone why they remain one of the hardest teams in the world to remove from a bracket.
The winners move into Saturday’s semi-finals. The losers leave Cologne with the uncomfortable feeling that they came close to winning the title, but could not maintain their momentum.
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