ESL reveals IEM Kraków 2026 team invites

ESL has unveiled the participants for IEM Kraków 2026 following the release of January’s Valve Regional Standings (VRS).

All of the top 24 teams from the global standings have accepted an invitation to the first IEM event of the 2026 Counter-Strike 2 season.

The team list sees the return of Oleksandr ‘s1mple‘ Kostyliev to the Tier 1 scene following BC.Game’s acquisition of the SAW core on January 5th, 2026. Elsewhere, Fragadelphia Frag Miami 2 champions NRG has also secured a place alongside GamerLegion, which finished third at the event.

BC.Game and GamerLegion are among 16 teams beginning the tournament in Stage 1. The likes of Team Liquid, Aurora Gaming, and G2 Esports also feature in the opening stage of the tournament, taking place from January 28th to February 8th, 2026.

IEM Katowice 2025 champion Team Vitality begins its Kraków campaign in Stage 2, aiming to add another Tier 1 trophy to its vast collection of victories achieved throughout 2025. After strong performances at the StarLadder Budapest Major, FaZe Clan and The MongolZ have also earned a Stage 2 spot.

The inaugural edition of IEM Kraków is part of a multi-year partnership between the Polish city and ESL FACEIT Group. The opening event of the 2026 ESL Pro Tour sees teams competing for a share of a $1m (~£740,980) prize pool.

The full list of teams competing in each stage of IEM Kraków 2026 is as follows:

The 16 Stage 1 teams will compete in a double-elimination bracket, with eight advancing to Stage 2. In Stage 2, two double-elimination GSL groups will determine which teams advance to the playoffs.