BIG Clan have made it into Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 after a historic win over NRG. The German organization came back from a 12-0 deficit on Mirage, winning 16 rounds in a row to secure their third win at their home event. The disastrous loss sees 2019 Cologne champion, and 2016 Cologne finalist Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella bow out of the tournament in 25-27th place.
Related—IEM Cologne 2026 Major: Schedule, teams, prize pool, format and more
Team Rosters – BIG vs. NRG – IEM Cologne Major 2026
| BIG | NRG |
|---|---|
| Johannes “tabseN” Wodarz | Joshua “oSee” Ohm |
| Jon “JDC” de Castro | Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella |
| Gleb “gr1ks” Gazin | Alexander “br0” Bro |
| Benjamin “blameF” Bremer | Aran “Sonic” Groesbeek |
| Josef “faveN” Baumann | Michael “Grim” Wince |
| Sebastian “xenn” Hoch (C) | Damian “daps” Steele (C) |
Match Recap – NRG vs. BIG – IEM Cologne Major 2026
- BIG removed Inferno
- NRG removed Overpass
- BIG picked Dust2
- NRG picked Nuke
- NRG removed Ancient
- BIG removed Anubis
- Mirage was left over
.@blameFFFFF & @JDC_CS successfully defend the B site in a 2v4 post-plant 👊#IEM pic.twitter.com/fkpM7oy6ym
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) June 5, 2026
Dust2 – BIG’s T-side leaves NRG in the dust – 13-5
The series began on Dust2, with NRG taking a small lead with the pistol conversion. But with rifles in their hands it was the duo of Johannes “tabseN” Wodarz and Jon “JDC” de Castro who worked wonders on the T-side, regularly cracking open the North American defences. Round eight presented NRG their best opportunity to crack down on the terrorists, but a stellar double kill from blameF turned the tides, keeping BIG ahead. That round truly shattered NRG, and BIG went on to win 10 of the next 11 rounds, closing out the map.
Nuke – nitr0 shines as NRG tie the series – 16-12
Moving to Nuke it looked like NRG had recomposed themselves well, with captain nitr0 picking up two key kills to open the B site. BIG’s AWPer, gr1ks, had been off the mark on Dust2. But on Nuke he was a completely different player. The moment the AWP landed in his hands, the Belarusian was obliterating NRG’s outside plays with consistency.
.@gr1ks24 & @blameFFFFF win the eco round in seconds#IEM pic.twitter.com/HvBPKId3yU
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) June 5, 2026
Unlike Dust2, though, NRG were able to adapt on the T-side, staying on BIG’s tail with a 5-7 scoreline at halftime. The second pistol round went in BIG’s favor, but a brawl outside the A vents gave NRG the man advantage to win the force. NRG found double digits first, but a gr1ks 1v2 with the AK47 ensured that the German squad wasn’t far behind. In fact, the youngster was showing his proficiency on the rifle in back to back rounds, hitting 23-kills as BIG found match point first.
.@gr1ks24 & @tabseNcs clutch it for MATCH point#IEM pic.twitter.com/ovSEfPkThL
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) June 5, 2026
Despite the team finding the opening kills needed to break into the B-site, their duels with Michael “Grim” Wince around the double doors did not go to plan, allowing NRG to retake their way into overtime. That late loss seemingly took the wind out of BIG’s sails, and NRG swept OT to equalize the series.
Mirage – One for the history books – 16-12
Calling NRG’s Mirage CT side a dominant affair would be quite an understatement. Instead, one can simply glance at nitr0’s 17-4 KD at the top of the scoreboard to understand the beatdown BIG received. Most teams in that moment would have given up entirely. In fact, in Major history, no team had ever come back from an 0-12 deficit. But, inexplicably, BIG managed it.
.@faven SAVES @BIGCLANgg FOR NOW#IEM pic.twitter.com/PDZswGhT0R
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) June 5, 2026
After the half, the German side found themselves on the defensive, and quickly cracked down on the A-site to prevent the 13-0. But just two rounds later, the team found themselves in a 3v5, having lost two opening duels. While faveN did manage to equalise again, his teammates were dropping like flies. Yet, the German rifler managed to hit another two brilliant headshots to keep his team afloat.
THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE COMEBACK EVER 🤯@BIGCLANgg #IEM pic.twitter.com/BRGxXvuW9C
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) June 5, 2026
NRG were playing quite disjointed by this stage, with 1v1 duels regularly handed over to the BIG CTs. But the turning point truly came in round 20, where a bizarre overpeek from blameF nearly gave NRG the closer. But BIG veteran tabseN chose that moment to step up, slamming down NRG once again. From that point on, NRG were completely out of the map, and BIG pushed it into overtime, with a 16-12 win following shortly after. The bizarre game of Mirage, with 28 CT rounds, ended with the first and only T round win, sending BIG to Stage 2 and NRG to the airport.
THE MOST UNREAL COMEBACK IN THE HISTORY OF COUNTER-STRIKE MAJORS.
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) June 5, 2026
FROM 0-12 to 16-12 FOR A SPOT IN STAGE 2.
WHATT???!! @BIGCLANgg pic.twitter.com/ksWYwrST2F
Editor’s Notes: BIG’s strong start to the series pointed to a quick and easy 2-0 for the German side. And had that happened, NRG could have walked away from the Major with their heads held high, matching the results of their NA-brethren in Team Liquid. Unfortunately, that Nuke win would prove to be a curse for NRG, etching their names into the history books for all the wrong reasons.
When a team wins the pistol round after a 0-12 first half, it’s often a consolation prize before the inevitable defeat. Yet BIG managed to build their way back into the game, round after round. All NRG needed was to throw one clean and coordinated knockout punch. Instead, the players seemingly all decided to be the difference maker, taking 1v1 duels consistently. The occasional lost clutch can be chalked up to BIG’s on fire players, but when it happens 16 times in a row, clearly it is an NRG issue.
Still on the whole, the team impressed at the major, and with minor tweaks (perhaps a Grim power-up), the team can be a real threat in the second season.
