The playoff bracket for IEM Kraków 2026 is now confirmed after the conclusion of the groups, therefore setting the stage for an exciting weekend of Counter-Strike in Kraków, Poland. Following a week of intense, weeklong Counter-Strike 2 matches, six teams have made it out to the Tauron arena, with all of them being equally potent to make a deep run in the event.
Spirit and Vitality, being the first two teams to make it out of Stage 2, go to show that they have carried their form from the year before and look to build on their success here in Krakow. The next two are being G2 and Aurora, while they lost their opening games, grinding it out of tough brackets makes them quite the threat. Qualifying on the last day of the event was MOUZ, who cruised past FaZe and Falcons on the same day, and FURIA, who outlasted NAVI and dominated Astralis to make it here.
With tons of storylines to look out for, we have a tough but competitive bracket where a few upsets would not be surprising for the community.
Playoff Matches
| Date | Time (IST) | Match Type | Team 1 | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06/02/2026 | 20:15 | Quarterfinal | FURIA | Aurora |
| 06/02/2026 | 23:30 | Quarterfinal | G2 | MOUZ |
| 07/02/2026 | 20:15 | Semifinal | Spirit | FURIA / Aurora winner |
| 07/02/2026 | 23:30 | Semifinal | Vitality | G2 / MOUZ winner |
| 08/02/2026 | 18:00 | 3rd Place Decider | Semifinal Loser | Semifinal Loser |
| 08/02/2026 | 21:30 | Grand Final | Semifinal Winner | Semifinal Winner |
Prize Pool
Not the highest of ESL events, but a total of $1.25 million will be distributed to the teams based on their finishing in the event.
- 🏆 1st: $460,000 + ESL Grand Slam notch
- 🥈 2nd: $216,000
- 🥉 3rd: $131,000
- 4th: $85,000
- 5th–6th: $61,000
- 7th–8th: $38,000
Talent
Hosts & Presenters
- Freya “Freya” Spiers
- Oliver “OJ Borg” D’Anastasi
- Eefje “sjokz” Depoortere
Pundits
- Janko “YNk” Paunović
- Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen
- One mystery analyst
Casters
- SPUNJ, Machine, JustHarry, Hugo, moses, Dinko, Ne0kai, Skriv, Xner, Phy
While Spodek will be missed, we are expected to see a bigger and more vibrant arena in Krakow. Only time can tell if the playoffs live upto the hype of the IEM Katowice, but for now, it looks like Krakow has all the ingredients to make it a smashing success.