Team Liquid have booked their place at the IEM Cologne Major 2026, with their qualification confirmed after Passion UA failed to overcome Sangal at the Urban Riga Open Season 4. The result sees the newly-returned Americas squad for Liquid make the major in Stage 1.
How Liquid earned their invite to the IEM Cologne Major 2026
Team Liquid’s roster was in freefall after the first set of Tier-1 tournaments in the season saw the team fail to make a dent against top opposition. With the presence of Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek, Roland “ultimate” Tomkowiak, and Guy “NertZ” Iluz placing the team on the EU VRS rankings, Liquid would require a serious windfall of points in just a handful of appearances to make it into Cologne. Thus, the team chose to return to their North American roots, swapping NertZ for G2’s Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa in a trade-deal.
Related—Team Liquid returns to North American core with malbsMd-NertZ trade
The addition of the Guatemalan star, combined with Liquid’s appearances at Roman Imperium Cup VI, and DraculaN Season 6, allowed the team to earn enough points for a chance at a Stage 1 invite to IEM Cologne Major 2026. Unfortunately, a lack of meaningful results at those events also left the team at the mercy of their compatriots in Passion UA and BESTIA. Both teams were playing in the Urban Riga Open Season 4, and a trophy for either would have knocked Liquid out of contention, despite their region-swap.
The prestigious organization lucked out in the end, with Passion UA knocking BESTIA out in the semi-finals before losing 1-2 to a SANGAL roster featuring Owen “smooya” Butterfield as a stand-in.
All 10 Americas Teams invite to IEM Cologne Major 2026
- FURIA (Stage 3)
- 9z (Stage 2)
- paiN (Stage 2)
- Legacy (Stage 2)
- M80 (Stage 1)
- NRG (Stage 1)
- Sharks (Stage 1)
- Gaiming Gladiators (Stage 1)
- MIBR (Stage 1)
- Liquid (Stage 1)
Stage placement determines where teams enter the Major. FURIA, the top ranked team in the Americas region, lead the charge with a Stage 3 invite bringing them into play in the top 16. Meanwhile Stage 1 teams will have to fight through the 32-team field for a chance to make playoffs.
