IEM Krakow 2026 Marks a New Era for ESL Counter-Strike Events

The IEM Krakow 2026 is knocking on the doors. The S-Tier tournament will return to Polish soil, featuring 16 teams. The tournament is scheduled to commence on January 28, 2026, and is planned to raise its curtain on February 8, 2026.

The IEM tournament has a massive prize pool of $1,000,000, which will be distributed among all participants at the main stage. Similar to most IEM tournaments, it'll feature two stages. While Stage 1 features 16 teams, eight more were invited for the final stage.

With the stage all set at the TAURON Arena in Krakow, we expect some nail-biting matches. On that note, let's check out every pivotal aspect of the S-Tier Counter-Strike 2 tournament.

How to Buy IEM Krakow 2026 Tickets?

Since Krakow will light the spark amidst the CS2 community, being the first S-Tier tournament of 2026, fans should be excited about the IEM Krakow 2026 Tickets. Well, here's how to get them online:

• Navigate to ESL's official website
• Look for the IEM Krakow 2026 Tickets
• Purchase the tickets you can afford

The tickets are on sale, and Wave 3 is going on in full phase. Hence, we recommend that you hurry and collect the tickets as early as possible.

IEM Krakow 2026 Teams

As discussed, the S-tier tournament will host two stages. Stage 1 will be less significant, featuring 16 teams and a small prize pool of $28,000; the final stage will feature 16 teams. Here's a breakdown of the organisations in each phase:

IEM Krakow 2026 Stage 1 Teams

Each team has been selected based on its Valve Regional Standings as of January 2026.

That being said, here's a list of all Counter-Strike 2 organisations participating in the preliminary phase:

• G2 Esports (VRS Global)
• Aurora (VRS Global)
• B8 Esports (VRS Global)
• 3DMAX (VRS Global)
• paiN Gaming (VRS Global)
• Astralis (VRS Global)
• Team Liquid (VRS Global)
• Passion UA (VRS Global)
• Legacy (VRS Global)
• HEROIC (VRS Global)
• PARIVISION (VRS Global)
• GamerLegion (VRS Global)
• Ninjas in Pyjamas (VRS Global)
• BC.Game (VRS Global)
• FUT (VRS Global)
• NRG (VRS Global)

Among these aforementioned teams, a total of eight that'll come out on top can secure their place in the final stage.

IEM Krakow 2026 Teams Invited

Similar to Stage 1, all teams in this stage have received an invitation because of their top Valve Regional Standings at the global stage as of January 2026. That said, here are the invited teams:

• Team Vitality
• FURIA
• Team Falcons
• MOUZ
• FaZe Clan
• The MongolZ
• Natus Vincere
• Team Spirit

The main stage teams will be divided into two groups (A & B), and two teams from each section will reach the playoff stage. The playoff stage will follow the single-elimination bracket.

That concludes all the important details on the 2026's first S-Tier CS2 tournament. If you're interested in more CS2 news like this, make sure to check out our latest coverage on Valve's removal of Rare Cases from the active duty pool.