Annual Club Incentive - IEM Kraków Update

$11,450,000 To Teams And Players In 2025

2025 marked the first iteration of our Annual Club Incentive, which at the end of the year resulted in the following Final Standings. The standings also meant the distribution of the US $2,950,000 to the Top 16 ranked teams, of which teams are eligible for by participating in the Ecosystem Agreement.

In April, Team Vitality completed their ESL Grand Slam run, something which only four teams had done before them. This achievement triggered a $1,000,000 payout, alongside the unique set of gold bars to immortalize their impressive run.

Across the calendar year and our 7 events, a total of $7,500,000 was further up for grabs in Total Winnings, a combination of Prize Money and Club Reward.

Overall this tallied up to a total of $11,450,00 going to teams and players who participated in the ESL Pro Tour competition throughout the calendar year 2025.

Over $11,000,000 On The Line in 2026

2026 marks a new standing for the Annual Club Incentive, which this year will increase $3,150,000 on the line for the Top 16 ranked teams, with teams being eligible by participating in the Ecosystem Agreement.

Across our 7 annual events in 2026, teams will compete for combined Total Winnings, distributed based on performance and split into Prize Money and Club Reward. $10,900,000 is guaranteed for teams and players in 2026, this could become $11,900,000 should Team Vitality complete their ESL Grand Slam run at IEM Rio, with the opportunity for another team to complete a new ESL Grand Slam race in 2026, this could even become $12,900,000.

ESL Pro Tour 2026

Łącznie
Winnings
Nagrody pieniężne
Club
Reward
IEM Kraków 2026
$1,250,000
$1,000,000
$250,000
ESL Pro League S23 Stockholm
$1,000,000
$400,000
$600,000
IEM Rio 2026
$1,000,000
$300,000
$700,000
IEM Atlanta 2026
$1,000,000
$300,000
$700,000
IEM Cologne Major 2026
$1,250,000
$1,250,000
$0
ESL Pro League S24 Katowice
$1,000,000
$300,000
$700,000
IEM China 2026
$1,250,000
$300,000
$950,000

Annual Club Incentive Update - Post IEM Kraków

We’re back from the winter break and kicking off 2026 with our first ESL Pro Tour Championship of the year. This furthermore marked a new chapter for the event, transferring from Katowice to its new home in Kraków. As per tradition, this pitted 24 of the world’s best teams against each other, in the pursuit of the legendary trophy and the associated bragging rights as the first champions in Kraków.

2025 championship winners Team Spirit were dethroned in the semi-finals by a red hot FURIA, who went on to lock horns with Team Vitality in the Grand Final. Ultimately Team Vitality continued from where they left off in 2025, hoisting the trophy after a 3-1 win over FURIA, in front of a sold out audience in TAURON Arena Kraków.

With the results in, we bring the first update to the Annual Club Incentive. As per usual, the average concurrent viewership is based on the highest value of a team in either Stage 1 or Stage 2, only the highest and only one value per team is included. Playoffs are not included as it heavily favours those select teams advancing, these teams are already being rewarded via the Club Reward. Out of the 24 teams participating, only the top 12 ranked teams by average concurrent viewers were awarded viewership points based on the previously announced points matrix.

IEM Kraków 2026Viewership placement

Miejsce
Team Name
Average CCV
Viewership points
1
BC.Game Esports
569,201
8
2
Natus Vincere
498,712
8
3
Team Spirit
470,909
8
4
FURIA
383,161
8
5
The MongolZ
334,138
6
6
Team Vitality
307,615
6
7
Team Falcons
296,595
6
8
Aurora
292,185
6
9
FaZe Clan
284,368
4
10
PARIVISION
254,566
4
11
G2 Esports
229,782
4
12
MOUZ
213,982
4
13
Legacy
211,352
0
14
Astralis
196,870
0
15
Team Liquid
162,794
0
16
Ninjas in Pyjamas
157,359
0
17
3DMAX
157,017
0
18
HEROIC
121,917
0
19
GamerLegion
94,824
0
20
paiN Gaming
91,801
0
21
FUT Esports
84,796
0
22
Passion UA
62,942
0
23
B8 Esports
55,181
0
24
NRG Esports
55,065
0
Popularity and fanbase is something that BC.Game Esports attract, which their star Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev is a big driving force in getting the community to tune in. This resulted in the team achieving the highest average viewership out of the attending teams. The most attention in the playoffs was recorded with the Grand Final clash between FURIA and Team Vitality, recording a record-setting peak, surpassing 1,300,000 as the highest ever for a non-Major CS event. IEM Kraków was the first event of the year contributing to the Annual Club Incentive, the event distributed 72 viewership points, out of the 720 points available in 2026. There is still a long way to go until the standings conclude at the end of the year. Being the first event of the year, the Event Multiplier has not kicked in yet, this factor will favour teams who consistently attended our events. With IEM Kraków in the rearview mirror, the Annual Club Incentive standings look as follows:

February 27, 2026Annual Club Incentive

Miejsce
Team Name
Łącznie
Viewership
Punkty
Events
Attended
Total Points
Łącznie
Punkty
Share
Share
1
BC.Game Esports
8
1
8
11.1%
$327,778
2
Natus Vincere
8
1
8
11.1%
$327,778
3
Team Spirit
8
1
8
11.1%
$327,778
4
FURIA
8
1
8
11.1%
$327,778
5
The MongolZ
6
1
6
8.3%
$245,833
6
Team Vitality
6
1
6
8.3%
$245,833
7
Team Falcons
6
1
6
8.3%
$245,833
8
Aurora
6
1
6
8.3%
$245,833
9
FaZe Clan
4
1
4
5.6%
$163,889
10
PARIVISION
4
1
4
5.6%
$163,889
11
G2 Esports
4
1
4
5.6%
$163,889
12
MOUZ
4
1
4
5.6%
$163,889
13
Legacy
0
1
0
0.0%
$0
14
Astralis
0
1
0
0.0%
$0
15
Team Liquid
0
1
0
0.0%
$0
16
Ninjas in Pyjamas
0
1
0
0.0%
$0
17
3DMAX
0
1
0
0.0%
$0
18
HEROIC
0
1
0
0.0%
$0
19
GamerLegion
0
1
0
0.0%
$0
20
paiN Gaming
0
1
0
0.0%
$0
21
FUT Esports
0
1
0
0.0%
$0
22
Passion UA
0
1
0
0.0%
$0
23
B8 Esports
0
1
0
0.0%
$0
24
NRG Esports
0
1
0
0.0%
$0
The $3,150,000 Annual Club Incentive concludes end-of-year 2026 and is paid out in Q1 of 2027 to the top 16 teams in the standings. Full details about how the Annual Club Incentive is calculated can be found tutaj. Next on the ESL Pro Tour calendar is ESL Pro League Season 23 Stockholm, March 1 - 15, with the playoffs played in front of a live audience in Annext Arena in Stockholm. Tickets can be purchased by going tutaj. Stay tuned for another update to the Annual Club Incentive standings after its conclusion.

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