Main event for IEM Cologne Major 2026

Four stages, one winner

The IEM Cologne Major will be the third to utilize a revamped format first implemented by Valve for the BLAST.tv Austin Major.

The 32 participating teams are invited regionally through the Valve Regional Standings based on results at the previous Major. Sixteen start in Stage 1, eight in Stage 2, and eight in Stage 3, depending on their VRS standing at the invite cut-off.

The first three stages are played in a Swiss format, each feeding eight teams into the next. Then, at the end, eight teams play a single-elimination playoffs bracket to determine the winner, with a best-of-five grand final at the end, first implemented at StarLadder Budapest Major in 2025.