CS2 IEM Krakow 2026 Overview and Schedule

The Counter-Strike 2 IEM Krakow 2026 tournament starts on January 28 and the final will be played on February 8. The first stage runs from January 28 to 30, and the main event starts on January 31.

For the first time in history, this IEM tournament will be played in Krakow, Poland. It replaces IEM Katowice, which was previously considered one of the most prestigious events on the calendar. Below is all the key information about the tournament format, full schedule and main favourites.

CS2 IEM Krakow 2026 will be played in 3 stages: qualifier, group stage and playoffs.

The qualifier uses a double elimination bracket format. 16 teams start in this stage and 8 of them advance to the group stage.

In the group stage, 16 teams are divided into 2 groups, A and B, with 8 teams in each group. The top 3 teams from each group advance to the playoffs.

The first-placed team in each group goes directly to the semi-finals. The teams finishing in second and third place move to the quarter-finals. The teams losing in the quarter-finals are eliminated from the tournament, while the teams losing in the semi-finals play a third-place match.

Counter-Strike 2 IEM Krakow 2026 runs from January 28 to February 8. The most important dates are:

Here’s the table based on the image you provided:

All of the current top Counter-Strike 2 teams will play at IEM Krakow 2026. 4 main favourites already appeared at the recently finished BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 tournament, which was won by PARIVISION.

In our preview, PARIVISION were highlighted as the main dark horse. Many esports teams underperformed at BLAST Bounty, but IEM Krakow should show a very different level of play.

Even though Vitality lost to Falcons in the BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 semi-final, the team remains the main favourite for IEM Krakow. Vitality was the best team of last year and know how to reach peak form when it matters most. The team has openly stated that BLAST Bounty is a useful warm-up tournament to get into rhythm.

In Poland, expectations are higher. It is realistic to expect a different level of focus, and it is clear that Vitality did not reveal new tactics at BLAST Bounty. With Train removed from the map pool and Anubis added, Vitality gains a direct advantage over many of their main rivals.

Falcons enter 2026 with very high ambitions. Last year was not successful, but the team did not make any changes during the break, which shows trust in the current lineup. At BLAST Bounty, Falcons played without ‘kyousuke’, but Maxim Lukin will join the team in Poland, where a different level of performance can be expected.

Reaching the final at the previous event with a stand-in was a real surprise. A final at IEM Krakow would not be a surprise but rather an expected result for this roster.

MOUZ were one of the few top teams that skipped BLAST Bounty and had more time to prepare specifically for IEM Krakow. The team arrives at the tournament without any official warm-up matches, but historically MOUZ rarely struggle in the group stage and often reach the playoffs.

No roster changes were made during the off-season. Last year MOUZ produced several strong runs and managed to beat all of the top teams at least once. With a well-established core, a semi-final appearance is a realistic target. Winning the entire tournament would still be considered a surprise.

FURIA lost to PARIVISION at BLAST Bounty, where the opponents showed very strong form. Team’s performance was far from perfect, but it is still too early to write off this roster. It is not yet clear whether last year’s results were a short-term peak or a sign that FURIA will remain one of the best teams this season.

At the moment FURIA should still be included among the favourites. Reaching the playoffs is the minimum expectation, and missing out on the semi-finals would be seen as a poor result.

The last CS2 IEM Katowice in 2025, which has now been replaced by IEM Krakow, was won by Vitality. The team finished first in the group, went straight to the semi-finals and beat TheMongolz 2:0.

In the grand final Vitality defeated Spirit 3:0. Before IEM Katowice, Vitality had lost in the quarter-finals of BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 1, but that did not stop them from showing their best form in Poland.

This year Vitality again lost at BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 2 in the semi-finals, but still enter IEM Krakow as the main favourite.

The last four IEM Katowice events were all won by one of the pre-tournament favourites: FaZe, G2, Spirit and Vitality. There are usually few big surprises at this event, especially in the playoffs. Although Vitality is considered the main favourite, Falcons can be highlighted as a key challenger, especially with Maxim kyousuke Lukin in the lineup.

If Vitality, Falcons, or FURIA do not win the title, that result could be described as a real surprise, so betting sites offer competitive odds on these teams.