IEM Kraków 2026 playoffs bracket set as six remain
What a wild ride it has been in the “third chapter” of the iconic Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) annual master event. Yes, that’s a bit of a long description, but we are, of course, talking about IEM Kraków 2026, which has replaced IEM Katowice on ESL’s event calendar.
Since 28 January 2026, the best Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) teams have been fighting tooth and nail to get to the IEM Kraków 2026 Playoffs Stage. After the grueling Play-In and Group Stages, only six remain.
IEM Kraków 2026 playoffs schedule
Only six teams remain, with the likes of Team Falcons and NAVI eliminated. The remaining teams are fighting for their share of the $1.25 million prize pool. At the current Dollar to Rand exchange rate, that’s roughly R20 million!
The Playoffs Stage of IEM Kraków 2026 is best-of-three, except for the Grand Final, which is best-of-five. The teams that topped their respective groups go straight into the Semifinals, while the 2nd and 3rd-place finishers per group compete in the Quarterfinals.
Teams are competing this weekend (6 to 8 February 2026), live on LAN at the TAURON Arena Kraków in front of a crowd. Below, you can check out the complete match schedule for the IEM Kraków 2026 Playoffs Stage. Times are in SAST.
- Aurora Gaming vs. FURIA (QF1) starts at 16:45 on 6 February.
- G2 Esports vs. MOUZ (QF2) starts at 20:00 on 6 February.
- Team Spirit vs. the winner of QF1 (SF1) starts at 16:45 on 7 February.
- Team Vitality vs. the winner of QF2 (SF2) starts at 20:00 on 7 February.
- Third-Place Decider starts at 14:30 on 8 February.
- Grand Final starts at 18:00 on 8 February.
CS2 esports fans can watch all the IEM Kraków 2026 action live via the official ESL_CSGO Twitch channel. Stay tuned to Esports Central for a ton of CS2 esports coverage, including the results and possibly a highlights video of IEM Kraków 2026.
Header image via ESL.
