9z, BetBoom, and G2 round out IEM Cologne Major playoffs
The playoffs of 2026's first Major are set, as the eight teams that will battle in the LANXESS were determined today.
9z avoided the Swiss Stage Three reverse sweep, as they went from 2-0 to 2-2 before clutching up in their final chance against The MongolZ. BetBoom, who have hit their stride in Cologne, bested fellow top-ten side FUT to book a spot in the playoffs.
NAVI v. G2 was the finale of the day, where G2 completed an incredible upset to knock NAVI, the IEM Atlanta champions, out of the Major before the playoffs.
9z 2-0 The MongolZ 
9z returned to their earlier Stage Three form against the Mongolians, thanks to strong play from Franco "dgt" Garcia. 9z and The MongolZ could hardly be separated at the halftime mark of both Inferno and Overpass, respectively. However, it was the second half of both maps where 9z left their mark. The South Americans surrendered just three second-half rounds in total across the series to win the match 2-0 and move on to the LANXESS.
9zThe MongolZ| 9z |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Franco 'dgt' Garcia |
44 - 21 | +23 | 109.2 | 85.7% | 1.76 |
 Luciano 'luchov' Herrera |
37 - 26 | +11 | 99.7 | 83.3% | 1.34 |
 Matias 'HUASOPEEK' Ibañez Hernandez |
29 - 25 | +4 | 68.2 | 76.2% | 1.16 |
| Ignacio 'meyern' Meyer |
23 - 20 | +3 | 51.8 | 76.2% | 0.91 |
| Maximiliano 'max' Gonzalez |
22 - 26 | -4 | 65.5 | 81.0% | 0.90 |
| The MongolZ |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayush 'mzinho' Batbold |
34 - 30 | +4 | 86.5 | 69.0% | 1.27 |
| Garidmagnai 'bLitz' Byambasuren |
21 - 34 | -13 | 75.0 | 66.7% | 0.92 |
| Anarbileg 'cobrazera' Uuganbayar |
27 - 34 | -7 | 68.6 | 69.0% | 0.81 |
| Usukhbayar '910' Banzragch |
21 - 29 | -8 | 57.1 | 59.5% | 0.74 |
| Sodbayar 'Techno' Munkhbold |
15 - 28 | -13 | 43.9 | 57.1% | 0.59 |
BetBoom 2-0 FUT 
BetBoom got off to a flying start, leading 11-1 at the end of the first half on Mirage. FUT fought back, but the deficit was far too great, as they fell 13-7 on their own map. The next map started much closer, but BB ran away with the match in the second half this time. The Russians won the second map by another 13-7 scoreline to clinch a playoff spot and send FUT packing.
BetBoomFUT| BetBoom |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirill 'Boombl4' Mikhailov |
37 - 18 | +19 | 93.4 | 72.5% | 1.76 |
| Aleksandr 'zorte' Zagodyrenko |
34 - 19 | +15 | 84.6 | 85.0% | 1.44 |
| Timur 'FL4MUS' Marev |
33 - 23 | +10 | 88.5 | 75.0% | 1.38 |
| Kirill 'Magnojez' Rodnov |
27 - 26 | +1 | 74.7 | 80.0% | 1.03 |
| Daniil 'd1Ledez' Kustov |
20 - 25 | -5 | 58.1 | 77.5% | 0.79 |
| FUT |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Laurențiu 'lauNX' Țârlea |
27 - 29 | -2 | 71.3 | 70.0% | 1.04 |
 Džiugas 'dziugss' Steponavičius |
30 - 29 | +1 | 70.0 | 67.5% | 0.95 |
 Aulon 'Krabeni' Fazlija |
20 - 35 | -15 | 78.0 | 55.0% | 0.75 |
 Dmytro 'dem0n' Myroshnychenko |
15 - 29 | -14 | 55.2 | 50.0% | 0.73 |
| Nikita 'cmtry' Samolotov |
17 - 29 | -12 | 43.0 | 52.5% | 0.64 |
NAVI 1-2 G2
NAVI v. G2 was the final match of the day, and for good reason. A disgusting 1v4 clutch from Ihor "w0nderful" Zhdanov was the backbreaker in an 11-7 comeback for NAVI, where they beat G2 13-11 on Dust2.
G2 looked to bounce back on Inferno, and they looked like they would, taking another 11-7 lead early in the second half. NAVI brought the game back again, forcing overtime, but it was G2 who won and forced a third map decider on Mirage. It was a barn-burner, but in the end, it was G2 who claimed victory and the final playoffs spot.
Natus VincereG2| Natus Vincere |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valeriy 'b1t' Vakhovskiy |
52 - 46 | +6 | 83.4 | 85.7% | 1.21 |
| Mihai 'iM' Ivan |
52 - 50 | +2 | 65.6 | 71.4% | 1.00 |
| Ihor 'w0nderful' Zhdanov |
41 - 46 | -5 | 55.1 | 71.4% | 0.92 |
 Aleksi 'Aleksib' Virolainen |
39 - 43 | -4 | 59.6 | 77.9% | 0.91 |
| Drin 'makazze' Shaqiri |
52 - 60 | -8 | 73.3 | 61.0% | 0.88 |
| G2 |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Nikita 'HeavyGod' Martynenko |
63 - 44 | +19 | 88.6 | 79.2% | 1.54 |
 Álvaro 'SunPayus' García |
50 - 43 | +7 | 66.4 | 75.3% | 0.99 |
 Nemanja 'huNter-' Kovač |
46 - 52 | -6 | 70.6 | 72.7% | 0.96 |
| Guy 'NertZ' Iluz |
41 - 51 | -10 | 54.5 | 66.2% | 0.92 |
 Matúš 'MATYS' Šimko |
44 - 49 | -5 | 59.5 | 75.3% | 0.86 |
Here are the quarterfinal matches at the IEM Cologne Major 2026:
• Spirit v. G2
• Vitality v. Falcons
• 
FURIA v. 9z
• 
Aurora v. BetBoom
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