IEM Cologne Stage 2 Viewership Up After Team Spirit’s Entry

IEM Cologne Major 2026 completed its Stage 2 phase in Cologne. Event data shows Stage 2 viewership rose between 10% and almost 20% compared with the tournament’s Stage 1 and with Stage 2 of the previous Major. Organizers said the data is preliminary and may be updated within 24 hours.

Team Spirit entered the tournament at Stage 2, finished the phase with a 3:0 record and advanced to Stage 3. Three of the five most-watched Stage 2 matches featured Spirit. Danil ‘donk’ Kryshkovets was a prominent player in those matches.

FUT also completed Stage 2 at 3:0, including a win over G2 Esports. B8 recovered from a 0:2 start to win three straight series and claimed the final Stage 3 spot by eliminating BIG in the last decider. BIG’s loss removed the last German team from the event in Cologne.

Astralis exited Stage 2 after a 0:2 defeat to paiN. With all eight Stage 3 berths decided, the tournament will move into the next phase.

Stage 3 will use a Best-of-3 format for every match, which lengthens series and increases total match time.

Early metrics show the viewership gains were concentrated around matches involving widely followed teams and players. Organizers recorded growth across multiple viewing metrics during Stage 2.