The 2026 IEM Cologne Major may make a significant change to Counter-Strike’s typical Major format.
Reports suggest that ESL and Valve are considering removing best-of-one matches from the tournament entirely.
Will the IEM Cologne Major cement the superiority of Bo3s?
Initially reported by Esports.net, sources suggest that Valve and ESL are considering a best-of-three format for all games in the IEM Cologne Major, except for the best-of-five Grand Final.
This would mean the absence of any best-of-one matches.
According to reports, ESL made this suggestion to Valve.
Continue reading Reports suggest the IEM Cologne Major will introduce a new format