Intel Extreme Masters Kraków 2026
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Intel Extreme Masters Kraków 2026 - Counter-Strike 2 Betting Odds, Tips & Live Stream FPS Esports
This month, the Intel Extreme Masters tournament returns to Kraków, Poland, and you can bet on all the action as the best Counter-Strike 2 teams go head-to-head right here at Stake. Get the latest odds on Esport titles when you join Stake Sportsbook today.
Introduction to Counter-Strike 2 Intel Extreme Masters Betting
The Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) series is the longest-running professional Esports tournament. It’s organised by the Electronic Sports League (ESL) and holds Counter-Strike 2 events all over the world. Currently, 5 IEM tournaments are planned for 2026, each taking place in a different country. Along with the ESL Pro Season, these events form part of the ESL Grand Slam, offering the biggest prize pools and prestige to the best professional Counter-Strike teams.
When is IEM Kraków 2026?
IEM Kraków gets underway on 28 January and ends with the grand final on 8 February. The tournament playoffs will take place at TAURON Arena in Kraków, Poland.
History of the Intel Extreme Masters Series
The Electronic Sports League established the Intel Extreme Masters series in 2006 as it expanded outside of Europe. Since 2008, it has featured teams from Europe, North America and Asia, and although it began as a Counter-Strike tournament series, it has featured other games, including StarCraft II and League of Legends.
Traditionally, the highest tier of the IEM series has been the Masters Championships, held twice annually: once in Poland at the start of the year and once at IEM Cologne in the summer. After the CS2 Majors, these Masters Championships offer the highest prize pools.
In 2017, ESL created the Grand Slam series, which offers additional prize money to teams that win 4 top-tier ESL tournaments within the season. Our very own Stake Esports partner, Team Vitality, became the 5th ESL Grand Slam winners in 2025, having won IEM Katowice 2025, ESL Pro League Season 21, BLAST Open Spring 2025 and IEM Melbourne 2025.
Who is Playing in the IEM Kraków 2026 Tournament
The following teams have directly qualified for IEM Kraków 2026:
FURIA - Won BLAST Rivals Fall 2025
Team Vitality - Won StarLadder Budapest Major 2025
Team Falcons - Won PGL Bucharest 2025
Team Spirit - Won BLAST Bounty Fall 2025
Natus Vincere - Won Esports World Cup 2024
MOUZ - Won PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025
FaZe Clan - Won CS Asia Championship 2023
The MongolZ - Won Esports World Cup 2025
These teams all have a chance to compete in this CS2 tournament, but must first advance through the play-in round:
Aurora Gaming - Runners-up at Esports World Cup 2025
B8 - 9th-11th at StarLadder Budapest Major 2025
Legacy - Runners-up at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025
G2 Esports - Won BLAST Open Fall 2025
Team Liquid - Runners-up at BLAST Premier: World Final 2022
3DMAX - 5th-8th at ESL Pro League Season 22
Astralis - Won BLAST Pro Series: Global Final 2019
PARIVISION - 15th-16th at StarLadder Budapest Major 2025
HEROIC - Won BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2023
paiN Gaming - 3rd-4th at BLAST Rivals Fall 2025
FUT Esports - First top-tier tournament
Ninjas in Pyjamas - Won IEM XII - Oakland 2017
Passion UA - 9th-11th at StarLadder Budapest Major 2025
BC.Game Esports - 13th-16th at IEM Dallas 2025
NRG - 3rd-4th at StarLadder Berlin Major 2019
GamerLegion - 5th-8th at PGL Bucharest 2025
Format and Schedule of IEM Kraków 2026
This tournament features a $1 million prize pool, with the tournament winners taking home $400,000. Runners-up receive $180,000 in prize money, the 3rd place team gets $110,000, and the 4th place receives $60,000.
IEM Kraków features 3 stages:
28-30 January - Play-In
16 teams join the play-in stage of the tournament. Teams play a double-elimination bracket, with matches played to the best of 3 games. The top 8 teams progress to the group stage.
31 January-3 February - Group Stage
The top 8 teams from the play-in join the 8 teams that directly qualified for the tournament. There are 2 groups, each containing 8 teams, which compete over a double-elimination bracket. Matches are played to the best of 3 games, and the top 3 of each group advance to the playoffs.
6-8 February - Playoffs
The group winners of the previous stage advance straight to the semi-finals, while the group runners-up advance to the quarter-finals as the high seeds and the 3rd placed teams advance to the quarter-finals as the low seeds.
The quarter-finals, semi-finals and third-place decider of this stage are played to the best of 3 games, while the Grand Final is played to the best of 5.
How to Bet on IEM Kraków 2026 & FPS Bet Types
It’s simple to start betting Counter-Strike 2 tournaments at Stake. If you’re a beginner, we recommend checking out our Esports betting guide. We also have a guide to Counter-Strike betting, and more information in our FPS betting guide and FPS betting terminology guide. You can follow these steps to place your first bet on the tournament:
Log in to your Stake.com account using your password or secure passkey .
Search for IEM Kraków or any of the teams in the tournament.
You can also use the menu to look up Esports > Counter-Strike > International > IEM Kraków 2026.
Check all live and upcoming matches and choose any match to see the full range of betting options.
Check our blog to find the latest picks and predictions for CS2 major tournaments.
Add a bet to your bet slip, then enter your stake, check your potential payout and confirm to place it.
There are lots of ways to bet on Counter-Strike and other FPS games at Stake, including:
Match Winner - Twoway (Moneyline)
Total Maps/Kills/Rounds (Over/Under)
Map Winner - Threeway (1x2)
Wins at Least One Map
Total Maps Odd/Even
IEM Kraków 2026 Betting Tips & Strategies
Check recent form - When choosing a team to bet on, it’s important to look at their recent history, especially in other top-tier tournaments. Look at how the team performed at IEM Chengdu 2025, which was the most recent ESL Grand Slam event. For the latest Esports news and betting picks, be sure to check out our CS2 IEM predictions to stay updated before you place your bets!
Understand the format and rules - This tournament is split into 3 stages, with the weaker teams first needing to advance through the play-in round to reach the group stage. The first 2 stages use a double-elimination bracket, while the playoffs use a single-elimination bracket. In addition, all matches except for the Grand Final are played to the best of 3 games.
Consider the map pool and team strategies - The standard map pool is used for this tournament, with teams able to veto a map before each game. Consider the different strategies that can be used on each map, and pay attention to team vetoes to know where they’re weakest.
Live Betting & Streaming Options for IEM Kraków 2026
We offer both pre-match and live betting odds on all major Counter-Strike tournaments, including IEM Kraków 2026. If you want to bet live, simply select the match while it’s in-play. You can check the live odds as they’re updated in real time, and there are live scores and live streams too. Our free live streams let you follow the action as it happens and make informed betting decisions.
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Stake Sportsbook Promotions, VIP Club, & Responsible Betting
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