chopper shared his expectations for the IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoffs
Former Team Spirit captain Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov spoke on his personal Telegram channel about the IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoff bracket, assessed the chances of Team Spirit and BetBoom Team, and named his preferred pair of finalists for the tournament.
The quote is reproduced with the source’s spelling and punctuation intact
The top half of the bracket is stacked.
It’s a shame we won’t get a Spirit vs. Vitality final, but it’s actually better this way. Vitality will first have to get past a fired-up Ilyukha))
I believe in the guys; it’ll be tough, especially without any support behind them.
There’s plenty of time before the playoffs: watch all the demos, draw conclusions, get in top form for the games, and take this Major!
BetBoom has a great chance to make it to the final without any pressure, and you know anything can happen there.
My prediction for the final is Spirit vs. Furia and a celebration for the whole CIS!
I’ll post my picks a little later, but I’ve already dropped a spoiler for you
All participants in the Intel Extreme Masters Cologne Major 2026 playoffs have now been determined. The first quarterfinals will take place on June 18: BetBoom Team will face Aurora Gaming, and 9z Team will take on FURIA.
Photo by Stephanie Lindgren, BLAST.
