IEM Cologne Major 2026 to not have BO1s in Stage 3

ESL have announced that the upcoming IEM Cologne Major 2026 will not feature BO1s in Stage 3, shifting away from the format used in Majors till date. It will become the first Major in Counter-Strike history to not have BO3s in Stage 3.

While ESL announced that there will be no BO1 games in Stage 3 of the Cologne Major, there has been no announcement in the usage of BO1 games in Stage 1 and Stage 2, which means the opening two stages will still use BO1s. The move of removing BO1s from Stage 3 comes shortly after StarLadder switched the Major final format to BO5 from BO3s, with the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 being the first Major to have BO5 finals.

The IEM Cologne Major 2026 will kick off from June 2, 2026, as Stage 1 gets the action going. Stage 1 of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 will run from June 2-5, 2026, Stage 2 will take place between June 6-9, 2026 and Stage 3 is scheduled for June 11-15, 2026. The Playoffs will be held between June 18-21, 2026.