THUNDERdOWNUNDER and Sharks Esports have been eliminated from the IEM Cologne Major

THUNDERdOWNUNDER and Sharks Esports lost their matches in the first stage of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 and were eliminated from the event.

In their first game, THUNDERdOWNUNDER lost in straight maps to FlyQuest—10-13 on Anubis and 3-13 on Inferno. In a parallel match, Sharks Esports faced off against TYLOO. The Chinese team lost 6-13 on Nuke but pulled ahead on Inferno, winning 13-5. The decisive match on Anubis went to Jianxiang “Mercury” Wang’s team, with a score of 13-10.

Thus, THUNDERdOWNUNDER and Sharks Esports have been eliminated from the IEM Cologne Major 2026, while FlyQuest and TYLOO will continue to battle for a spot in the second stage of the tournament.

The IEM Cologne Major 2026 began on June 2 and will run through June 21 in Cologne, Germany. Thirty-two teams are participating in the event, and the prize pool is $1,250,000. The tournament is divided into four stages: Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, and the playoffs.