Dubbed the “third chapter” in the iconic Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) annual winter championship event, IEM Kraków 2026 follows Hannover and Katowice. It’s set to feature the best Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) teams, an immense line-up of talent, and all the pageantry one can hope for in an S-Tier LAN event.
Join us as we break down everything CS2 esports fans need to know about IEM Kraków 2026, including the schedule, format, competing teams, prize pool, and where you can enjoy all the action. We also compiled our own expert betting predictions for who could end up as the top four.
Disclaimer: All the IEM Kraków 2026 outright winner odds quoted are accurate as of Jan. 26, 2026, and are subject to change.
IEM Kraków 2026 Schedule & Format
Running from Jan. 28 to Feb. 8, IEM Kraków 2026 takes place on LAN in Poland and features three stages of competition.
IEM Kraków 2026 begins with the Play-In Stage (Jan. 28 to 30), featuring 16 teams competing in a double-elimination bracket, where all matches are best-of-three. The top eight advance to the Group Stage.
In the Group Stage (Jan. 31 to Feb. 3), the eight Play-In winners will join eight teams directly invited to the second stage of the competition. The 16 teams are divided into two groups of eight.
All matches in the Group Stage are best-of-three. The winners of each group advance directly to the Semifinals, while runners-up advance to the Quarterfinals as the high seeds, and third-place finishers advance to the Quarterfinals as the low seeds. The rest are eliminated.
Live in front of a crowd at the TAURON Arena Kraków, the final six teams will compete in the Playoffs (Feb. 6 to 8) of IEM Kraków 2026. The format is single-elimination. Semifinals, Quarterfinals, and Third-Place Decider matches are best-of-three, and the Grand Final is best-of-five.
For exact match start dates/times in your region, visit our dedicated IEM Kraków 2026 CS2 betting page.
Prize Pool Distribution
IEM Kraków 2026 features a total prize pool of $1.25 million. There’s both a Player Share and a Club Share, awarded to players and organizations, respectively. Check out the table below for the complete prize pool distribution.
| Place | Player Share | Club Share | Total Prize |
| 1st | $400,000 | $160,000 | $460,000 |
| 2nd | $180,000 | $36,000 | $216,000 |
| 3rd | $100,000 | $31,000 | $131,000 |
| 4th | $60,000 | $25,000 | $85,000 |
| 5th–6th | $40,000 | $21,000 | $61,000 |
| 7th–8th | $24,000 | $14,000 | $38,000 |
| 9th–12th | $16,000 | $7,000 | $23,000 |
| 13th–16th | $10,000 | — | $10,000 |
| 17th–20th | $4,500 | — | $4,500 |
| 21st–24th | $2,500 | — | $2,500 |
| Total | $1,000,000 | $250,000 | $1,250,000 |
How To Watch IEM Kraków 2026
You can watch all the IEM Kraków 2026 action live via our CS2 betting section. When the matches begin, navigate to the “Live” tab and select any match. A live stream and bet slip will appear, where registered users can make in-play wagers.
You can also stream the event on the ESL Twitch and YouTube channels.
Teams At IEM Kraków 2026
Twenty-four teams are headed to IEM Kraków 2026, but not all of them will make it to the main event. The Play-In Stage features 16 teams, and in the main event’s Group Stage, the top eight directly-invited teams await.
Play-In Stage Teams:
- G2 Esports
- Team Liquid
- Legacy
- Astralis
- 3DMAX
- B8
- Aurora Gaming
- PARIVISION
- HEROIC
- FUT Esports
- paiN Gaming
- NIP
- Passion UA
- BC.Game Esports
- GamerLegion
- NRG
Direct Invite Group Stage Teams:
- Team Vitality
- Team Spirit
- FURIA
- Team Falcons
- FaZe Clan
- NAVI
- The MongolZ
- MOUZ
Our IEM Kraków 2026 Predictions
To make our IEM Kraków 2026 predictions, we put our research glasses on and dove deep. For a balanced approach, we considered many factors like expected team/player form on LAN, roster changes, and results from BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1.
We further added the latest outright odds (in Decimal and American format), along with implied probabilities, to indicate the chance of a team lifting the coveted trophy.
Important: These predictions reflect the perceived strength of teams based on historical trends and the latest outright winner odds. This analysis should not be interpreted as betting advice. Past performance does not guarantee future outcomes. Always gamble responsibly.
Team Vitality
With an incredible nine S-Tier LAN trophies won in 2025, including both Major Championships, Team Vitality remains the top contender. 2025 Player of the Year Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut is the spearhead of attack, while Estonian superstar Robin “ropz” Kool makes the high-impact plays.
Team Vitality is #2 on the VRS and #1 on HLTV. The squad suffered a surprising 2-1 defeat at the hands of Team Falcons in the Semifinals of BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1, but the odds (3.50 / +250) indicate they are still the favorites to win IEM Kraków 2026, with an implied probability of 28.57%.
Team Vitality roster:
- Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
- Robin “ropz” Kool
- Shahar “flameZ” Shushan
- William “mezii” Merriman
- Dan “apEX” Madesclaire (IGL)
- Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam (Coach)
Team Spirit
We chose Team Spirit as the squad that could face Team Vitality in the Grand Final in Kraków. At BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1, they got in some much-needed practice and learned a few hard lessons with Boris “magixx” Vorobyev calling the shots.
It was the first outing with the updated roster, featuring the return of Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia and magixx. Spirit crashed out of BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 in the Quarterfinals, losing to eventual winners PARIVISION.
The squad was eliminated in a reverse-sweep comeback against their ex-teammate, Ivan “zweih” Gogin, adding salt to the wound. At IEM Kraków 2026, we predict the IEM Cologne 2025 winners will bounce back to secure a top-two spot.
Odds of 5.50 (+450) translate to an implied probability of 18.18% that Team Spirit lifts the IEM Kraków 2026 trophy.
Team Spirit roster:
- Danil “donk” Kryshkovets
- Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov
- Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia
- Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich
- Boris “magixx” Vorobyev (IGL)
- Sergey “hally” Shavayev (Coach)
Team Falcons
Team Falcons impressed at the BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Finals in Malta. Playing with young academy star Matej “Nucleonz” Trajkoski as a stand-in for Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin, they managed to make it all the way to the Grand Final. Falcons were also playing without their head coach, Danny “zonic” Sørensen, who was away on personal leave.
Despite the cards being stacked against them, Team Falcons soared and beat Team Liquid 2-0 in the Quarterfinals and eliminated the favorites, Team Vitality, in a 2-1 slugfest.
Their performance inspires confidence that a full-powered Team Falcons could go all the way at IEM Kraków 2026. Odds of 5.00 (+400) indicate there’s a 20% chance they’ll lift the trophy.
Team Falcons roster:
- Nikola “NiKo” Kovač
- Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov
- René “TeSeS” Madsen
- Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin
- Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski (IGL)
- Danny “zonic” Sørensen (Coach)
FURIA
At BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1, fans watched as one of the favorites, FURIA, narrowly qualified for the Playoffs Stage and scraped by HEROIC with a 2-1 reverse-sweep comeback in the Quarterfinals. FURIA finished 3rd-4th, losing 2-0 to underdogs PARIVISION, who went on to win the event.
FURIA still has what it takes to make some noise in Kraków and claim the trophy. The team remains #1 on the VRS, and from their historic 3-2 reverse-sweep comeback to win the Thunderpick World Championship 2025, we know they can bounce back.
The odds of 4.50 (+350) indicate there’s a 22.22% probability that FURIA could win it all at IEM Kraków 2026.
FURIA roster:
- Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato
- Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis
- Yuri “yuurih” Boian
- Danil “molodoy” Golubenko
- Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo (IGL)
- Sidnei “sidde” Macedo (Coach)
Who Will Become The First IEM Kraków Champions?
Will Team Vitality, the last IEM Katowice champions, become the first IEM Kraków winners, etching their legacy into the “Hall of Heroes”? Or could IEM Cologne 2025 champions Team Spirit win back-to-back masters events? We’ll find out the answers to those questions and much more very soon.
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