IEM Cologne Major 2026 is in full swing—and today CS.MONEY Blog will tell you who to pick for the second stage of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 pick’ems. Stage 2 starts tomorrow, on Saturday, and you should update your predictions in CS2 to upgrade your medal and get more tokens. And we’re happy to help you with advice on who to pick in 3-0, 0-3, and 3-2.
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PickEm rules for Cologne Major
You can already make predictions Stage 2 of the Cologne Major in CS2. ICYMI, we’ve already covere the first stage this here, where we also explained how the new pickem system works. In the first three stages, which are played following the Swiss system, you need to pick:
- two teams to advance 3-0;
- two teams to be eliminated 0-3;
- six more teams to advance.
To earn tournament coin/medal progress, you need to make a prediction in each stage and correctly guess five teams. It’s complicated by the fact that if you set a team to go 3-0 and they advance 3-1, you don’t get anything! And that’s not all. All matches, except for the advancement and elimination matches, are played in a best-of-one format. So it’s very difficult to make correct and accurate predictions, as is directly evidenced by the number of owners of gold and diamond commemorative coins from past majors.
Who to Pick for IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 2?
Stage 2 IEM Cologne 2026 features an unpredictable mix of teams with a huge spread in age, experience, and… recent results. For some players, this is almost their tenth Major, while for others, it’s their first (and they’re only teenagers!). Therefore, making correct pickems for the second stage is difficult. Based on the experience of the first stage, as well as the strength of the newcomers, CS.MONEY Blog recommends picking the following teams to advance and be eliminated in the Cologne Major Stage Two:
- To advance 3-0: G2 Esports and Team Spirit
- Advance: Astralis, FUT Esports, Legacy, M80, B8, and BB Team
- 0-3 elimination: teams that will advance from the first stage today (for now, we assume it will be BIG, TYLOO and Team Liquid).
| 3-0 | 0-3 | 3-1/ 3-2 | 3-1/ 3-2 |
| G2 Esports | TYLOO | Astralis | M80 |
| Team Spirit | BIG | FUT Esports | B8 |
| Legacy | BB Team |
Why these teams? 3-0 PickEm heading into the second stage is clear—Team Spirit isn’t just a stage favorite, but a title contender. G2 Esports isn’t as clear-cut, but the team has reached the playoffs at the last three huge tier-1 tournaments, so a clean sweep is quite likely.
For the six teams advancing to Stage 3, we focused on recent results:
- First, B8 and BB Team. Both teams cruised through Stage 1 with a 3-0 record; they played really well and confident; and they are already warmed up for the second stage.
- Four more teams (Astralis, FUT Esports, Legacy, and M80) look strong enough to advance. M80’s roster is the most questionable, but we’re banking on their warm-up in Stage 1.
- Finally, the two teams destined for elimination in 0-3 are TYLOO and BIG, both teams advanced as 3-2 from the previous stage. Even Stage 1 was a tough test for them, so Stage 2 (with stronger teams) could prove a simply impossible challenge.
When Does IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 2 Start? When Do PickEms Close?
Predictions will be accepted a few hours before the start of the first match of the stage. Stage 2 itself will run from June 6 to 9, with the opening matches taking place on June 6 at 12:30 CEST.
Сообщение Stage 2 PickEms Guide for IEM Cologne 2026 Major появились сначала на CS.MONEY Blog.