What a wild ride it has been in the "third chapter" of the iconic Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) annual master event. Yes, that's a bit of a long description, but we are, of course, talking about IEM Kraków 2026, which has replaced IEM Katowice on ESL's event calendar.

Since 28 January 2026, the best Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) teams have been fighting tooth and nail to get to the IEM Kraków 2026 Playoffs Stage. After the grueling Play-In and Group Stages, only six remain.

Only six teams remain, with the likes of Team Falcons and NAVI eliminated. The remaining teams are fighting for their share of the $1.25 million prize pool. At the current Dollar to Rand exchange rate, that’s roughly R20 million!

The Playoffs Stage of IEM Kraków 2026 is best-of-three, except for the Grand Final, which is best-of-five. The teams that topped their respective groups go straight into the Semifinals, while the 2nd and 3rd-place finishers per group compete in the Quarterfinals.

Teams are competing this weekend (6 to 8 February 2026), live on LAN at the TAURON Arena Kraków in front of a crowd. Below, you can check out the complete match schedule for the IEM Kraków 2026 Playoffs Stage. Times are in SAST.

• Aurora Gaming vs. FURIA (QF1) starts at 16:45 on 6 February.
• G2 Esports vs. MOUZ (QF2) starts at 20:00 on 6 February.
• Team Spirit vs. the winner of QF1 (SF1) starts at 16:45 on 7 February.
• Team Vitality vs. the winner of QF2 (SF2) starts at 20:00 on 7 February.
• Third-Place Decider starts at 14:30 on 8 February.
• Grand Final starts at 18:00 on 8 February.

CS2 esports fans can watch all the IEM Kraków 2026 action live via the official ESL_CSGO Twitch channel. Stay tuned to Esports Central for a ton of CS2 esports coverage, including the results and possibly a highlights video of IEM Kraków 2026.

Header image via ESL.