IEM Krakow 2026—Teams, Schedule, and Where to Watch

IEM Katowice is officially no more, and the competition has moved to Krakow for 2026. This monumental change seemed drastic at the time, but fans are now readying themselves to visit a new city for this supersized tournament. In this guide, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about IEM Krakow 2026, including the schedule, teams competing, and where to watch it.

If you’re interested in IEM Krakow betting or just want to watch your favourite teams and players enjoying Counter-Strike 2 action live on stream, read on.

IEM Krakow 2026 Schedule and Location

IEM Krakow 2026 will take place at the TAURON Arena in the city of Kraków, Poland. It’s set to run from January 28th to February 8th, and in that time, 24 teams will fight for the lion’s share of a massive $1 million prize.

Here’s the IEM Krakow 2026 schedule and format:

Play-In Stage

During this stage, 16 teams come together for the Play-In round, which features a double-elimination bracket and a series of best-of-three matches. It’s a whittling round here, and only the top eight will make it through to the next round to face the higher-seeded competitors.

Group Stage

The Group Stage includes the eight successful teams from the Play-In Stage and the eight that had already qualified with a higher seeding for IEM Krakow. The teams will compete along another double-elimination pathway, with each group being made up of eight teams in total.

The Group Stage winners go through to the semi-finals, the runners-up advance to the Quarterfinals as high seeds, and the third-place teams go through to the Quarterfinals as low seeds. Only the top three teams from each group will land in the Playoffs.

Playoffs

The Playoffs will crown the champion at IEM Krakow 2026. This is a single-elimination bracket with a best-of-five grand final that will see six teams fight for the grand prize – $400,000.

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 enters the running as the primary title contender, despite recent losses. For a safe IEM Krakow bet, you’d consider backing them, or for similar odds, Team Spirit. FURIA has been on a resurgence of late, and the Brazilian roster could make for a middle-of-the-road bet if you’re playing outrights.

Elsewhere, a swing-tier squad like Team Liquid and Ninjas in Pyjamas could manufacture an underdog win that could result in a nice return for Counter-Strike betting fans.

Where to Watch IEM Krakow 2026

If you’re going to place live bets on IEM Krakow 2026 or just want to watch the action unfold, here are the links you need:

• ESL on Twitch
• ESL on YouTube
• IEM Krakow in Russian
• IEM Krakow in French

Are you going to be watching IEM Krakow 2026? Let us know your predictions on the Insider Gaming Discord server.

For more Insider Gaming esports, check out the latest major change to the Call of Duty League

Written by

Grant Taylor-Hill

Senior Editor and Esports Lead

Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.

More from Grant Taylor-Hill

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