Over a decade of historic tournaments at Intel Extreme Masters Katowice come to an end as ESL moves to host IEM Krakow in 2026.
Krakow has not held a high-profile Counter-Strike tournament since the PGL Krakow major in 2017. Counter-Strike will return to the same venue in 2026 for IEM.
ESL introduces IEM Krakow as a “new chapter”
Honouring the place IEM Katowice has held at the heart of the Counter-Strike community for over a decade, ESL have embraced IEM Krakow as a “new chapter” for the tournament.
Vice President of Special Projects at ESL, Michal ‘Carmac’ Blicharz, is quoted on ESL’s website explaining the shift to a new venue.
Continue reading IEM Krakow 2026 ushers new CS2 Era, replacing iconic Katowice venue