Less than two weeks ago, Team Spirit dismantled 9z in a clean 2-0 sweep during the Swiss stage of the IEM Cologne Major. The Argentinian roster looked outclassed, dropping Mirage 13-3 and Nuke 13-1. So when the two teams met again on Overpass, nobody expected 9z to walk away with a 13-6 victory over the VRS number two ranked squad in the world.

But that’s exactly what happened. And in Cologne’s LANXESS Arena, often called the “Cathedral of Counter-Strike,” 9z just delivered one of the most memorable upsets of the tournament so far.

How 9z turned the tables

The June 7 loss was brutal. Spirit’s roster, headlined by stars like donk and sh1ro, barely broke a sweat en route to a dominant victory.

9z’s roster, featuring players like dgt, max, meyern, luchov, and HUASOPEEK, showed a level of coordination that simply wasn’t present in their earlier matchup. This wasn’t even the first time 9z had taken down Spirit with that exact scoreline. The Argentinian squad previously beat Spirit 13-6 at the BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026, suggesting that when map selection favors them, this roster knows exactly how to exploit Spirit’s tendencies.

The Cathedral of Counter-Strike delivers again

The IEM Cologne Major 2026 runs from June 2 to June 21 in Cologne, Germany, with a $1.25 million prize pool on the line.

9z is an Argentinian organization that has steadily built its reputation on the international circuit, with sponsors including gambling operator 1xBet highlighting its growth trajectory within the esports ecosystem.

What this means for the tournament and beyond

For the esports ecosystem, the IEM Cologne Major continues to operate primarily on traditional sponsorship models. There are no cryptocurrency-related sponsorships or blockchain integrations tied to this particular match or the broader event. While some teams across the CS2 landscape have experimented with selective crypto partnerships, the major tournament organizers and top-tier teams have largely kept their distance during the 2025-2026 cycle.

Spirit will need to seriously reconsider their approach to Overpass, or risk letting 9z turn a map-level advantage into a series-level one when the stakes escalate in the knockout stage.