The Intel Extreme Masters Cologne Major 2026, a Counter-Strike 2 esports tournament with a $1.2 million prize pool, began its third stage of play today. Mongolian team "The MongolZ" qualified for the third stage based on their Asian ranking. In their opening match, they faced Russia’s “BetBoom Team” and lost 2-1 in a best-of-three series. Despite winning the first map, Dust2, with a score of 13-11, "The MongolZ" were defeated on their chosen map, Mirage, 6-13. The deciding map, Ancient, also went to BetBoom Team with a final score of 11-13. "The MongolZ" will learn their next opponent later tonight, and will face another team with one loss. A loss in the next match would send them to the elimination bracket, fighting to remain in the championship.