Maybe they misunderstood the Pick'EMs 😅

Watch Australia smash the Pick'EMs live on CS2Analytics!
👉 https://cs2analytics.com/matches

While most are recovering from broken Pick'Ems, coach of 🇦🇺THUNDER DOWNUNDER is surging to first place 😳

Here they are, the Australian Pick'Ems..

Track how the leaderboard changes live!
👉 https://cs2analytics.com/iem-cologne-major-2026/talent-picks

🤑 $353M IN STICKERS

Across the last 9 CS Majors, teams have earned an estimated ~$353 million in sticker revenue. Paris 2023 alone accounted for almost a third of it.

🕹 Estimated team sticker earnings per Major (since 2019):

🇩🇪 StarLadder Berlin 2019 - $10M
🇸🇪 PGL Stockholm 2021 - $30M
🇧🇪 PGL Antwerp 2022 - $30M
🇧🇷 IEM Rio 2022 - $25M
🇫🇷 BLAST Paris 2023 - $110M
🇩🇰 PGL Copenhagen 2024 - $48M
🇨🇳 Perfect World Shanghai 2024 - $45M
🇺🇸 BLAST Austin 2025 - $25M
🇭🇺 StarLadder Budapest 2025 - $30M

Paris 2023 was the all-time peak - 🇩🇰 HLTV's original investigation in early 2024 put team earnings there north of $110M, more than 3x what a "normal" Major produces. Since then, every event has trended back toward the historical average.

❔ Why Cologne might break the pattern?

Valve introduced a new sticker system for this Major. Revenue distribution now rewards performance more directly - meaning lower-ranked orgs are expected to take a hit, while players themselves receive a bigger cut of the pool. Several orgs and players are already in disagreement on how pre-existing contracts apply to the new model.

The end result: teams may earn less from Cologne than from any Major in the last 5 years.

Full breakdown of the new sticker system on 🇩🇰 HLTV.
👉 hltv.org/news/44737/sticker-fans-come-here-ft-messioso

#IEMCologne #Major

🔥 BEST upside down PICK'EM 🔥

Follow well-known names' Pick'Em chances LIVE!
https://cs2analytics.com/iem-cologne-major-2026/talent-picks

TOP 10 TALENT PICK'EMS after day 1

The first day of 🏆 IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 1 has ended and here's what the leaderboard looks like.

Follow well-known names' Pick'Em chances LIVE!
👉https://cs2analytics.com/iem-cologne-major-2026/talent-picks

👑 THE #1 CLUB

Only 7 players in modern CS history have spent 100 or more weeks ranked #1 in the world by HLTV. ropz and apEX are the newest names on that list.

❔ Most weeks at #1 in 🇩🇰 HLTV rankings (2015-2026):

🇩🇰 dupreeh - 141 weeks
🇩🇰 dev1ce - 123 weeks
🇩🇰 Xyp9x - 123 weeks
🇩🇰 gla1ve - 121 weeks
🇩🇰 Magisk - 113 weeks
🇪🇪 ropz - 102 weeks
🇫🇷 apEX - 100 weeks

Five of seven names are the🇩🇰 Astralis core - the same five players who built one of the most dominant eras in CS history. 🇪🇪 ropz cracked the list while still active at the top of his game with 🇫🇷 Vitality, and 🇫🇷 apEX got there as an IGL - a rarity for the role.
Both will play in Cologne. The number can still grow.

Stats: HLTV

See the live Player VRS!
👉 https://cs2analytics.com/players

#ropz

🔥 STAGE 1 - WHO'S ALMOST THROUGH

After Round 2, the Advancement board has reshuffled. Four teams already sit above 85% - but the middle of the table is where it gets interesting.

🏆 IEM Cologne Major 2026 - Stage 1, Round 3
📅 June 2-5 · Cologne, Germany

Live chances to advance (by VRS):

🇩🇪 GamerLegion - 97.7%
🇺🇦 B8 - 95.9%
🇷🇺 BetBoom - 92.4%
🌎 M80 - 87.1%
🇧🇷 MIBR - 62.2%
🇨🇳 Lynn Vision - 55.4%
🇩🇪 BIG - 51.6%
🇺🇸 Liquid - 48.8%
🇧🇷 Sharks - 47.8%
🇺🇸 NRG - 43.9%

🇩🇪 GamerLegion holds the top spot: 97.7% to advance - they've kept the model's confidence from day one, and Round 2 didn't change it.

🇧🇷 MIBR still in good shape despite a rougher run: zero chance at 3:0 now, but the model still gives them 62.2% to make it through - a 3:1 or 3:2 path remains very much alive.

Live Advancement updates with every map result. Open the board.
👉 cs2analytics.com/iem-cologne-major-2026/advancement

#CS2 #IEMCologne #Major

CHANCES TO ADVANCE - Before Stage 1 vs NOW

After Round 2 we can see how the picture has shifted on Stage 1 advancement. Advancement chances are based on 10 million Monte Carlo simulations, with match outcomes weighted using our live VRS.

The biggest movers:
🇺🇸 M80: 49% → 87%
🇩🇰 Heroic: 55% → 17%
🇨🇳 TYLOO: 50% → 14%
🇨🇿 SINNERS: 50% → 11%

Check it out in LIVE!
👉 cs2analytics.com/iem-cologne-major-2026/advancement

THE PICK`EMS THAT WOKE UP!

Three CS veterans started Stage 1 near the bottom of the talent leaderboard. Almost 3 rounds later, all three have moved sharply up.

Just look where Kane standing right now!
🇺🇦 Kane: #47 → #3
🇺🇦 Zeus: #48 → #8
🚛 Ceh9: #50 → #29

Follow the race live!
👉 https://cs2analytics.com/iem-cologne-major-2026/talent-picks

🏆 Round 3 isn't even over yet, and already 13 out of 85 Pick'ems are at 0%!

Stage 1 sure isn't kind to Pick'ems...

Check well-known names' Pick'Em chances LIVE!
👉 https://cs2analytics.com/iem-cologne-major-2026/talent-picks

Are we in for an Australian derby?(🇦🇺vs🇦🇺)

If 🇺🇦B8 take down 🌎M80 and 🇩🇰HEROIC beat 🇩🇰Gaimin Gladiators in Round 2, here's the bracket the model spits out for Round 3.

Run your own scenarios - every match, every outcome, live!
👉 cs2analytics.com/iem-cologne-major-2026/simulator

Match schedule for 04.06 of the 4rd round!

🇩🇪 IEM Cologne Major 2026 - Stage 1
📅 June 2-5 · Cologne, Germany

Watch all matches live on cs2analytics!
👉 https://cs2analytics.com/matches

TOP 10 TALENT PICK'EMS after day 2

The second day of 🏆 IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 1 has ended and here's what the leaderboard looks like.

Follow well-known names' Pick'Em chances LIVE!
👉https://cs2analytics.com/iem-cologne-major-2026/talent-picks