IEM Cologne Major: Aurora vs BetBoom; FURIA vs 9z

The IEM Cologne Major quarter-finals took place at LANXESS Arena in Cologne on 18 June 2026. Aurora met BetBoom at 15:45 local time and FURIA played 9z at 19:00. Winners advanced to the semi-finals.

Aurora’s players posted higher individual tournament numbers. Ali “Wicadia” Haydar Yalçın had a 37-28 K-D and a 1.56 Rating3.0, Ismailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş posted 46-30 and a 1.49 Rating3.0, and Özgür “woxic” Eker was 38-21 with a 1.45 Rating3.0. BetBoom’s leading player, Daniil “d1Ledez” Kustov, was 27-34 with a 1.01 Rating3.0; three other BetBoom starters recorded ratings at or below 1.00.

BetBoom reached the playoffs after starting in Stage 1. They went 3-0 in Stage 1 with wins that included 13-4 over Gaimin Gladiators and 13-9 over Liquid. In Stage 2 they lost 13-5 to Spirit and beat GamerLegion 13-9 and M80 13-2. In Stage 3 they beat The MongolZ and Falcons, lost to FURIA and Vitality, then secured a playoff berth with a 2-0 decider win over FUT.

FURIA entered the match with prior quarter-final exits at the Austin Major 2025 against paiN and at the Budapest Major 2025 against Natus Vincere. In a broadcast interview a FURIA player described recent quarter-final losses as “kind of a mental block,” added that the team started rough on the day but regained focus, and noted that Overpass is “very CT-sided.” The player highlighted the importance of pistol rounds and economy control and, on Marcelo “FalleN” David’s planned retirement, commented, “We are here for him, and he is here for us.”

Both quarter-finals were played on the LANXESS Arena stage in front of a live audience. The winners progressed to the semi-finals of the IEM Cologne Major.