Your complete guide to IEM Kraków 2026
As the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) replacement for the iconic Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice, there’s a lot of hype surrounding IEM Kraków 2026. The new era starts this week, with Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports fans on the edge of their collective seats. Let’s jump in and discuss the most important IEM Kraków 2026 details, so you don’t miss any of the action.
IEM Kraków 2026 details
IEM Kraków 2026 runs from 28 January to 8 February 2026, on LAN in Kraków, Poland. The Playoffs Stage will be held in front of a huge crowd at the TAURON Arena Kraków.
The best 24 CS2 esports teams from across the globe will compete for their share of the $1.25 million prize pool. At the current Dollar to Rand exchange rate, that’s roughly R20 million!
First up, 16 teams will compete in a Play-In stage, featuring a double-elimination bracket format, where all matches are best-of-three. The top eight teams will advance to the Group Stage. In the Group Stage, we’ll see two double-elimination format (GSL-style) groups of eight teams each. Matches are all best-of-three.
Lastly, there’s the Playoffs Stage, with the surviving Group Stage teams fighting in a single-elimination bracket. All matches in the Playoffs Stage of IEM Kraków 2026 are best-of-three, except for the Grand Final, which is best-of-five.
Check out the list of direct invite teams, and a list of the 16 Play-In teams outlined below.
Stage 2 Direct Invite teams:
- Team Vitality
- FURIA Esports
- Team Falcons
- MOUZ
- FaZe Clan
- The MongolZ
- Natus Vincere
- Team Spirit
Stage 1 Play-In teams:
- G2 Esports
- Aurora Gaming
- B8
- 3DMAX
- paiN Gaming
- Astralis
- Team Liquid
- Passion UA
- Legacy
- PARIVISION
- HEROIC
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- FUT Esports
- BC.Game Esports
- NRG
- GamerLegion
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.
