The third-round matches of Stage 3 have begun at IEM Cologne Major 2026. While some teams are still fighting in their ongoing series, the results of the first four matches of the day are already known. NAVI, FUT, Falcons, and G2 secured victories. As a result, B8 became the first team to be eliminated from the Major in Stage 3.
Match results
NAVI vs MongolZ
The Ukrainian team came close to winning on the opponent’s pick, Nuke, but failed to close out key rounds. After a difficult start to the series, NAVI took full control on Ancient and closed out the map 16:13 without major problems, before finishing the job on the third map. For The MongolZ, this was their second loss in Stage 3, meaning their next match will be in the 1-2 bracket, where there will be no room for error.
FUT vs B8
Another Ukrainian organization started the series confidently on Dust 2, but FUT quickly responded with a win on Mirage. The fate of the matchup was decided on Ancient, where FUT once again showed solid play and closed out the map 13:11. With this victory, the Turkish club improved its record to 1-2, while B8 exited the tournament with a 0-3 record.
Falcons vs Monte
Monte came close to pulling off a miracle and defeating Falcons. After a tense second map on Dust2, they managed to level the series at 1:1 and force a Mirage decider. However, their lack of experience and low win rate on that map proved to be a critical issue, ultimately leading to their defeat and dropping them into the 1-2 bracket. Falcons will now play their next Major match for a spot in the playoffs.
Aurora vs G2
Aurora continued its successful run toward the playoff stage. After an earlier loss to Spirit, the team bounced back and managed to defeat G2 in a best-of-three series in just two maps — Overpass 13:8 and Anubis 13:7. This sent G2 to the 1-2 bracket, while Aurora improved to 2-1, guaranteeing the team a match for a playoff spot on June 13, as well as one more chance to lose.
After all second-round matches are completed, new Stage 3 pairings will be formed. For teams with a 0-3 record, these matches were their last at the tournament, while teams with a 2-1 record will move closer to reaching the IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoffs.
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