Published 2026-01-20 14:24
Intel Extreme Masters Kraków 2026 represents an esports council event that centres directly on Counter-Strike 2 play. As part of the IEM series, the tournament also counts toward qualification for the ESL Grand Slam race.
Tournament info and structure
ESL manages the event, while Intel, DHL, and FACEIT appear as sponsors backing the tournament structure. An offline format delivers live competition, giving fans a direct connection inside a stadium setting. The tournament is hosted in Kraków, Poland and the final games take place in the TAURON Arena Kraków. It will continue from January 28, 2026, to February 8, 2026. This is an event of the Masters Championship level being played by 24 teams worldwide under the system of ESL Pro Tour.
The event ranks high among the year’s Counter-Strike 2 tournaments by value, as the prize pool reaches 1,000K USD in total. It starts through the Play-In stage, and this part uses a double elimination bracket system. All matches in this opening phase follow the Best of 3 format, and early mistakes carry a high cost. From this moment, eight competitors lock their positions in the Group Stage, and progression becomes secure. That stage includes two groups, and each group holds eight teams within a double elimination GSL structure. Every match is played as Best of 3, and teams must sustain performance across each round.
Out of the group’s three teams will get to the playoffs. The team champions go straight to the semifinals. The semi-finalists move to the quarterfinals as high seeds and the third-place teams move to the Quarterfinals as low seeds. The Playoffs apply a single-elimination bracket. The game is always Best of 3 except in the case of the Grand Final, which is in a best-of-5 series. The total prize money of 1,000K USD will be split between the best teams. The winner gets 400K USD, with a second place team getting 180K USD. Third place is entitled to 100K USD, fourth place to 60K USD, and teams that place in the fifth and sixth place get 40K USD each.
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Betting Markets (What Can You Bet On)
Esports betting on CS2 is varied and provides fans with a variety of actions to perform regarding the games. Varying in magnitude between the extreme victors and details to be found in gameplay, bettors have the chance to get excited about different events in tournaments.
Match Winner Bets
The most widespread is the market where the anticipation is placed on the winning of a team during a match. This is an entry point for most beginners as bettors consider team composition, map selection and player performance in order to make well-informed decisions.
Map Winner Bets
Counter-Strike 2 games can take several maps. The betting options include how each team will win a particular map, and therefore one needs to be more knowledgeable of which team to bet the most on, map pools, strategies and team strengths.
Total Rounds Over/Under
This market allows bettors to predict if total rounds exceed or fall below a set number, causing tension and patience during matches where both teams push rounds toward overtime.
Handicap Betting
The unequal matchups are even in handicap markets, where the weaker teams are provided a round advantage. Bettors place bets on whether superior teams can overcome handicaps and this provides excitement to those matches with obvious favourites and underdogs.
Correct Score Bets
In this case, the gamers are betting on the precise gameline of an occasion or map. Correct score betting is riskier but has bigger payoffs and is interesting to individuals who are sure of their analytical outcomes about the performance of a team.
Pistol Round Winner
Maps are usually presented with pistol rounds. Bettors are able to bet on who wins the first pistol round, and in order to accomplish this, they have to have information about the strategies of the respective teams, the aim of a particular player, and the aspects of the early game momentum.
First Kill/First Blood
This market is interested in the player or team to kill first. It is very high speed and exciting, and such players, who like to make predictions on a micro-level and in which engagements are not predictable in the first place, may get interested.
Tournament Winner (Outright)
Betting makers have the opportunity to bet on the team that is going to win the whole tournament. This market is in the long term, and it needs to be analysed in terms of consistency of the team, bracket paths, and flexibility between a variety of opponents and map pools.
Player Performance Bets
These wagers are based on personal statistics, i.e., on the number of kills, assists, or MVPs. This market is perfect when the followership of certain talents involves more than just events won by particular players, but also the number of their games they are in.
Special Prop Bets
Distinct propositions consist of bets on knife kills, wins on clutch or overtime situations. Niche bets also introduce diversity and entertainment, as these bets are attractive to bettors who need some unpredictable and entertaining elements of Counter-Strike 2.
Teams and Players
The Intel Extreme Masters Kraków 2026 features a set of Counter-Strike 2 teams, each bringing leaders and players who aim to deliver performance meeting tournament standards during the full competition.
FURIA comes to the event led by Captain Gabriel Toledo. Yuri Boian, Kaike Cerato, and Danil Golubenko support him and they form a very aggressive player line-up and team coordination.
Dan Madesclaire is the leader of Team Vitality and his roster consists of Mathieu Herbaut, Shahar Shushan and William Merriman. This team also incorporates organised tactics with personal prowess and therefore, they remain a constant danger in major events.
Team Falcons are the rivals of Damjan Stoilkovski. With him on board are Nikola Kovaac, Renne Madsen and Ilya Osipov, a team that stresses disciplined performance and consistent round control.
Boris Vorobyev is a captain of Team Spirit, which includes Myroslav Plakhotia, Danil Kryshkovets and Dmitriy Sokolov. This team has been characterized with cool headed decision-making and performance under pressure.
The team is headed by Natus Vincere, who will add expertise and leadership to the team. The team is supplemented by Valerii Vakhovskyi, Mihai Ivan and Ihor Zhdanov, giving it dynamism, potency, and tactical capability.
Team Rankings List
- FURIA
- Team Vitality
- Team Falcons
- Team Spirit
- Natus Vincere
Favourite Teams and Historical Results
Some of the groups at Intel Extreme Masters Kraków 2026 can be considered heavy contenders, having shown good outcomes in recent performances in some of the biggest global tournaments and generally winning outcomes at the peak of winning competitive actions on Counter-Strike.
FURIA will also enter the event with a lot of momentum in 2026. The team was able to perform well under pressure and they won the BLAST Rivals Fall 2025 tournament, where they won the prize said to be worth 125K USD.
Team Vitality is among the most successful in recent history. They dominated the big stage when they took the StarLadder Budapest major 2025 and scooped a huge reward of 500K USD, showcasing their superiority in the big field.
Falcons come in as a serious contender after a big win. They took first place at the PGL Bucharest 2025 tournament and won a prize money of 200K USD.
Team Spirit has a close relation with the IEM series. They also won Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2025, a tournament held in 2025, after securing first place, earning them a prize of $ 400,000. This win builds momentum in their preparation for Kraków.
Natus Vincere has a track record of championships in recent years. The team won first place and received 400K USD at the Esports World Cup 2024, which strengthened their image as one of the best participants.
