Here are your 24 teams that are attending the first Intel Extreme Masters tournament of 2026 in Kraków, Poland.
All teams were invited based on the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) as of January 5th, 2026 and have been split across two stages. A team must keep a majority roster from the original VRS invite date to be able to attend the event.
The now former SAW core roster has transferred to BC.GAME. BC.GAME has therefore obtained the invite for IEM Kraków. Their journey will start in Stage 1 of the tournament.
Roster submission deadline: January 14th, 2026
Tournament Information, Format and Seeding
Stage 1
Stage 1 features the VRS 9–24 ranked teams, who will compete in a 16-team double-elimination bracket. The top 8 teams from Stage 1 will advance to Stage 2.
Stage 2
Stage 2 directly invites the VRS 1–8 ranked teams, who will be pre-seeded into two 8-team double-elimination groups. The 8 teams advancing from Stage 1 will be seeded into these groups based on their final placement in Stage 1.
Playoffs
The Playoff Stage will consist of 6 teams, with three teams qualifying from each Stage 2 group.
Tournament Seeding
Seeding for the 16 Stage 1 teams and the 8 teams directly invited to Stage 2 will take place two weeks prior to the start of the tournament, on January 15th and 30th respectively.
The seeding of the 8 teams advancing from Stage 1 into Stage 2 will occur in two phases: the four teams progressing via the Stage 1 upper bracket will be seeded first, followed by the four teams qualifying through the lower bracket once Stage 1 concludes.
The Stage 2 group winners will advance directly to the Semifinals, while the 2nd and 3rd placed teams from each group will compete in the Quarterfinals.
Prize & Title
The winner of IEM Kraków will walk away with the lion’s share of the $1,250,000 Total Winnings, earn an ESL Pro Tour Championship title towards the ESL Grand Slam VI, and be crowned the first-ever champion of IEM Kraków—continuing the legacy of IEM Hannover and IEM Katowice as an EPT Championship event.
Outro
For more information on IEM Kraków 2026, visit the official website here.
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