The popular IEM Katowice event is moving to Krakow in 2026! While the change initially surprised many, fans are now excited to experience the larger tournament in a new location. This guide covers everything you need to know about IEM Krakow 2026, including the event schedule, participating teams, and how to tune in to watch.
Whether you’re planning to bet on the IEM Krakow tournament or simply want to enjoy watching live Counter-Strike 2, keep reading to find out more.
IEM Krakow 2026 Schedule and Location
The IEM Krakow 2026 esports event will be held at the TAURON Arena in Kraków, Poland, from January 28th to February 8th. Twenty-four teams will compete for a $1 million prize pool.
Here’s the IEM Krakow 2026 schedule and format:
Play-In Stage
In this phase, 16 teams compete in a double-elimination Play-In round, playing best-of-three matches. This round narrows the field, as only the top eight teams advance to compete against the higher-ranked teams in the next stage.
Group Stage
The Group Stage features the eight teams who advanced from the Play-In Stage, plus the eight teams that qualified directly with better rankings for IEM Krakow. These teams will battle through another double-elimination bracket, with each group containing eight teams.
The team that finishes first in each group moves directly to the semi-finals. The second-place team advances to the quarterfinals as a top seed, and the third-place team also makes the quarterfinals, but as a lower seed. Only the top three teams from each group will qualify for the playoffs.
Playoffs
The IEM Krakow 2026 Playoffs will determine the champion. Six teams will compete in a single-elimination bracket, culminating in a best-of-five grand final for a $400,000 prize.
IEM Krakow 2026 Teams
Here is the full list of the teams qualified to compete at IEM Krakow 2026:
Directly Qualified
- FURIA
- Team Vitality
- Team Falcons
- Team Spirit
- Natus Vincere
- MOUZ
- FaZe Clan
- The MongolZ
Play-In Teams
- Aurora Gaming
- B8
- Legacy
- G2 Esports
- Team Liquid
- 3DMAX
- Astralis
- PARIVISION
- HEROIC
- paiN Gaming
- FUT Esports
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- Passion UA
- BC.Game Esports
- NRG
- GamerLegion
IEM Krakow 2026 Predictions
Team Vitality is a strong contender to win, even though they haven’t been performing at their best recently. If you’re looking for a relatively safe bet for IEM Krakow, they’re a good option, along with Team Spirit who offer similar odds. FURIA has been improving lately and could be a decent choice if you’re betting on who will win the tournament, but they’re not as favored as Vitality or Spirit.
Teams like Team Liquid and Ninjas in Pyjamas, while not top contenders, have the potential to pull off surprising victories, which could be profitable for those betting on Counter-Strike.
Where to Watch IEM Krakow 2026
Whether you’re planning to bet on the IEM Krakow 2026 matches live or simply want to follow along, here are the links to do so.
- ESL on Twitch
- ESL on YouTube
- IEM Krakow in Russian
- IEM Krakow in French
Grant Taylor-Hill
Grant first fell in love with gaming in 1996 on the Amstrad CPC. Today, he’s a skilled gamer across many platforms, deeply passionate about the gaming world and especially excited about esports.
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2026-01-27 20:19