The first round of Stage 3 at the IEM Cologne Major 2026 continued with several more exciting matchups. FURIA and Aurora claimed confident 2:0 victories, while Falcons defeated G2 in the headline match of the game day after a tense three-map series, and Spirit closed out the day with a win over NAVI. The winners started the stage with a 1-0 record, while their opponents dropped into the 0-1 bracket.
FURIA vs B8
The Ukrainian squad B8 failed to pull off an upset against FURIA. The Brazilian team controlled the flow of the series and closed it out 2:0. On Mirage, B8 put up a fight but fell 10:13, while on Inferno, FURIA completely took over and allowed their opponents only four rounds — 13:4.
The best player of the match was Danil “molodoy” Golubenko. The FURIA sniper finished the match with 33 kills, a +12 K/D differential, and an average ADR of 94. His consistent performance on both maps earned him the match MVP title.
Aurora vs Monte
Aurora confidently began Stage 3 by defeating Monte 2:0. The Turkish roster first won on Nuke, 13:10, before closing out the series on Anubis without much trouble, 13:7.
The best player of the match was Ali “Wicadia” Haydar Yalçın. The Aurora representative finished the series with 34 kills, a +10 K/D differential, and a 6.5 rating. Soulfly and woxic also made important contributions, helping the team comfortably pass its opening test in Stage 3.
Falcons vs G2
The penultimate match of the day was the clash between Falcons and G2. The teams traded wins on the first two maps: G2 took Inferno 13:10, while Falcons answered with a 13:8 victory on Dust2. The fate of the series was decided on Ancient, where viewers witnessed a true thriller.
The main hero of the match was Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov. The former G2 player recorded 63 kills and finished the series with a +22 K/D differential. His 7.4 rating earned him the match MVP award, and together with NiKo’s 60 kills, that duo became the decisive factor in Falcons’ success.
NAVI vs Spirit
Despite expectations of a tough match for both teams, Spirit confidently defeated NAVI, winning Dust2 13:1 and closing out Anubis — NAVI’s map pick — with a 13:8 scoreline. NAVI make their Major debut with a loss, while Spirit are now on a four-match winning streak if Stage 2 is taken into account.
IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 3 will take place from June 11 to 15. The final sixteen teams at the Major will compete for eight playoff spots, where the tournament winner will receive $500,000 in prize money. The event is being held in Cologne, Germany. More details are available at this link.
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