Falcons, Spirit Reach IEM Cologne Major Semi-Finals

Falcons and Spirit advanced to the semi-finals of the IEM Cologne Major on June 19, 2026, at the LANXESS Arena in Cologne. Falcons beat Vitality and Spirit beat G2, setting up semi-finals of Falcons vs Spirit and Aurora vs FURIA.

Falcons closed their quarter-final against Vitality after a long day of play. Maksim ‘kyousuke’ Lukin finished 52-50 with an 83.7 ADR and a 1.43 rating. Ilya ‘m0NESY’ Osipov posted 63-40 with an 85.0 ADR and a 1.26 rating. Vitality leaders included Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut at 54-42, 77.7 ADR and a 1.16 rating, and Robin ‘ropz’ Kool at 52-42, 80.5 ADR and a 1.13 rating.

Falcons in-game leader Finn ‘karrigan’ Andersen reflected on the match, calling it “a huge fight,” and said the team kept composure late in the series. He added that the squad made better decisions in key rounds and that he was “super proud of the boys.”

Head-to-head figures since the start of 2025 show Vitality leading maps 16-13 and series 5-4, but Falcons had won the last three meetings and both encounters in 2026 before this Major. The quarter-final in Cologne was the first time the clubs met on a Major playoff stage and the first time Falcons faced Vitality with karrigan as in-game leader.

Spirit won a high-intensity series against G2. Danil ‘donk’ Kryshkovets recorded 81-73 with an 87.9 ADR and a 1.32 rating. Dmitry ‘sh1ro’ Sokolov went 75-56 with a 74.4 ADR and a 1.04 rating, while Myroslav ‘zont1x’ Plakhotiaz finished 61-64 with a 69.0 ADR and a 1.05 rating. For G2, Matúš ‘MATYS’ Šimko ended 71-68 with a 72.9 ADR and a 1.19 rating.

Spirit and G2 had met multiple times earlier in 2026. Spirit defeated G2 at IEM Kraków, ESL Pro League Season 23 Stage 2, IEM Rio and PGL Astana this year.

Aurora and FURIA had already secured semi-final berths the previous day, completing the last four at the LANXESS Arena. The semi-finals will determine the two teams that advance to the grand final of the IEM Cologne Major.

The event followed a multi-stage format that began in early June. BetBoom reached the playoffs after starting in Stage 1; Aurora, FURIA, Falcons, Spirit, Vitality, G2 and others reached later stages before the quarter-finals. The semi-final matches are scheduled at the LANXESS Arena, with winners moving on to the final.