IEM Kraków 2026 playoffs bracket and match schedule revealed

Jonno Nicholson
Rabia Sayal
calendar-icon
Image of IEM Krakow 2026 trophy placed on stand with esports players competing in background
Image credit: Adela Sznajder

Following the conclusion of the Group Stage of IEM Kraków 2026, the playoffs bracket for the Tier 1 Counter-Strike 2 event is set.

Taking place from February 6th to 8th, the six remaining teams will compete for a chance to be crowned the tournament’s champion.

Teams that ended the Group Stage in second and third places will begin their playoffs campaign in the quarter-finals, while Team Vitality and Team Spirit start in the semi-finals after topping their respective groups.

Aurora Gaming and FURIA will face off in one quarter-final, with the majority-Brazilian roster looking to cement its place as the world’s best CS2 team after leading February’s Valve Regional Standings (VRS). For Aurora Gaming, the Turkish team hopes to reach its first playoffs since November 2025, when it won PGL Masters Bucharest.

FURIA earned its spot in playoffs after running the lower bracket gauntlet scoring victories over The MongolZ, NAVI, and Astralis, following a surprise loss to FUT Esports in the opening Group Stage match.

The second quarter-final will see G2 Esports taking on MOUZ. G2 Esports has displayed impressive form during its Kraków campaign with wins over The MongolZ and FUT Esports before a narrow defeat to Team Spirit to secure its place in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, MOUZ made its way through Group B’s lower bracket, sweeping aside FaZe Clan before scraping past Team Falcons in a hotly contested best-of-three, where late-round resilience made the difference.

IEM Kraków 2026 Playoffs Schedule

Below is the full schedule for the IEM Kraków 2026 playoffs, as the remaining teams look to secure the lion’s share of a $1m (~£729,395) prize pool:

February 6th

  • FURIA vs Aurora Gaming
  • G2 Esports vs MOUZ

February 7th

  • Team Spirit vs FURIA or Aurora Gaming
  • Team Vitality vs G2 Esports or MOUZ

February 9th

  • 3rd place decider match
  • Grand Final

All matches will be streamed live ESL’s Counter-Strike Twitch and YouTube channels.

Jonno Nicholson

Writer
  • x-icon
  • linkedin-icon
Jonno is a writer for Esports Insider and has been part of the team since 2019. Over the past ten years, he's written for several outlets including Gfinity, GGRecon, and Radio Times. As an avid sim racer, he aims to provide insight on one of the fastest growing sectors in esports.
Read Full Bio
Stay updated with the latest in Esports Follow Esports Insider for breaking news, features and guides
Add ESI as your preferred source on Google Add ESI as your preferred source on Google
ESI Ranking System
We’ve created a ranking system to help you quickly know how good each gambling platform is. As gamblers ourselves, we know which factors matter most to you, so we follow a best-in-class methodology to test each one with no stone unturned. Once done, we then rank each platform based on the following tiers:
  • A-Tier High-quality sites that deliver a top experience every time. They boast strong performance, nice features, and reliable support, but are just shy of perfection.
  • B-Tier Solid platforms that are worth a spin. They’re safe, fun, and functional, but may be lacking advanced features or have minor drawbacks.
  • S-Tier Reserved for elite operators only. These go well beyond the norm with lucrative bonuses, rewarding promotions, lightning-fast payouts, and a flawless experience overall.
To read more details about how we review casino and betting sites, check out How We Rate Gambling Operators.