IEM Kraków 2026 seeding announced

Organizers of the prestigious Counter-Strike 2 tournament, IEM Kraków 2026, have announced the seeding. The Play-In stage matchups have been revealed, along with the brackets for the group stage.

The event will begin with the Play-In (Double Elimination) stage, featuring sixteen squads – the top eight of which will advance to the group stage.

In the group stage (Double Elimination), alongside the top rosters from the Play-In stage, eight more invitees will compete for a spot in the playoffs. Each of the two groups will compete for three spots in the final stage of the event (Single Elimination), with the winners of each group advancing directly to the semi-finals. The final will be a best-of-five match, while all other matches – best-of-three.

IEM Kraków 2026 will take place from January 28 to February 8, 2026, in Krakow, Poland. The competition's total prize pool will amount to one million US dollars, divided among 24 teams.

Play-In Bracket:

Group A Bracket:

Group B Bracket: