IEM Cologne 2026: Here are the Stage 1 opening fixtures

It's been a busy spring for the ESL Pro Tour, as IEM Rio happened in April ahead of IEM Atlanta in May. June will also offer up an event, as IEM Cologne is taking place in the German city, bringing the action back to the Cathedral of Counter-Strike.

With the tournament kicking off on June 2, when the first of its three stages commence, the ESL has now revealed the opening fixtures for the event. It should be said that we do only have fixtures for the first day, as matches are seeded on a day-by-day basis, with the format being a Swiss group where teams need to notch up three wins to advance and avoid getting three wins else they are eliminated for good.

To this end, you can see the opening day fixtures below.

IEM Cologne Stage 1 Round 1 Fixtures:

• GamerLegion vs. NRG


• B8 vs, Tyloo


• Heroic vs. Sharks Esports


• BetBoom Team vs. Gaimin Gladiators


• BIG vs. Team Liquid


• M80 vs. Lynn Vision Gaming


• MiBR vs. Thunderdownunder


• Sinners Esports vs. FlyQuest

Only eight teams will advance from Stage 1, where they will then join Stage 2's invited squads, which includes the following organisations.

• FUT Esports


• Team Spirit


• Astralis


• G2 Esports


• Legacy


• PaiN Gaming


• Monte


• 9z Team

What are your expectations for IEM Cologne?