Whether you are backing the sheer firepower of Team Spirit and Team Vitality or banking on an underdog miracle from the likes of FURIA or 9z, we have broken down the quarterfinal matchups, recent form, and potential upsets to help you finalize your bracket and secure that coveted Diamond Coin before the action kicks off at the Lanxess Arena.

How To Get IEM Cologne 2026 Diamond Coin?


To upgrade your Viewer Pass coin to Diamond, you must complete all of the playoff-stage Pick'Em challenges. Here is exactly how the playoff rules and win conditions work:

  • Lock in your full bracket early: You must submit your complete playoff bracket before the very first quarterfinal match begins. Once the live action starts, your picks are permanently frozen.

  • Map the exact pathway: Unlike the Swiss stages where you picked teams simply to advance, the playoffs require you to predict the exact head-to-head outcomes from the quarterfinals through to the Grand Final.

  • Hit the required milestones: Assuming you completed the Opening and Elimination stage challenges, you need a minimum of four correct picks in the playoffs, distributed exactly as follows:

    • Correctly predict at least two of the four Quarterfinal winners.

    • Correctly predict at least one of the two Semifinal winners.

    • Correctly predict the outright Grand Final Champion.

  • All or nothing: Falling short of the required picks in the early rounds or missing your Grand Final Champion will immediately end your run and cap your Major coin at Gold.

When Will the IEM Cologne 2026 Major Playoffs Take Place? When Do Pick’Ems Close?

The IEM Cologne 2026 Major playoffs will run from Thursday, June 18 through Sunday, June 21, 2026, live from the iconic LANXESS Arena in Germany. You must lock in your Viewer Pass Pick'Ems before the very first quarterfinal match kicks off on June 18. Once that initial broadcast goes live, the bracket predictions will close permanently, and you will not be able to make any adjustments or late submissions for the remainder of the tournament. Ensure your full path to the Grand Final is finalized and submitted ahead of time so you don't miss out on your chance at the Diamond Coin.

Check out some pick'ems from CS2 experts like Thorin, Banks, Nadeking and Austincs.

IEM Cologne 2026 Major Playoffs Schedule

The playoffs run over four action-packed days at the LANXESS Arena, transitioning from the grueling Swiss-system formats of the earlier stages into a high-stakes, single-elimination bracket. Eight teams will battle it out starting on Thursday, June 18, with the tournament culminating in a massive Best-of-5 (Bo5) Grand Final on Sunday.  

Here is the daily schedule for the playoff matches:

  • Thursday, June 18: Quarterfinals 1 & 2 (Bo3)  

  • Friday, June 19: Quarterfinals 3 & 4 (Bo3)

  • Saturday, June 20: Semifinals 1 & 2 (Bo3)  

  • Sunday, June 21: Grand Final (Bo5)  

Make sure you have your entire bracket mapped out and submitted before the first Quarterfinal match goes live on Thursday, as that is the hard cutoff point for the Viewer Pass Pick'Ems.

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