The era of IEM Katowice is over, ESL announces IEM Krakow

There were doubts that the Polish city would retain its Counter-Strike 2 tournament, and those doubts were accurate.

The ESL recently confirmed its future calendar for competitive Counter-Strike 2, and one of the things that it noted at the time was that future events in Poland were not clearly labelled as IEM Katowice. The Polish city had been the hub for one of the year's earliest big CS tournaments for years, and this wording led many to believe that it wouldn't be continuing to retain the event.

We now know that this is in fact accurate. The ESL has revealed that from 2026, the Polish event will be held in Krakow. The inaugural tournament will happen between February 6-8, 2026 at the Tauron Arena in the city, where 24 of the best teams from around the world will be in attendance and battling it out for a trophy and a slice of a $1.25 million prize pool.

Speaking about changing Polish host cities, ESL's VP of special projects, Michal "Carmac" Blicharz explains: "For almost two decades, Intel Extreme Masters has built a heritage full of emotional and defining moments in esports history. From the early days in Hannover to the rise of new legends in Katowice, every stop along the way has left its mark on our legacy. As we begin a new chapter of this story, we look forward to continuing it with the world's best gamers and esports fans, as they add their mark in Kraków, on a bigger scale than ever before."

Are you excited for IEM Krakow?