ESL announced on May 29 that one of its flagship CS2 tournaments, IEM Katowice, will relocate to Kraków in 2026 as the city and the tournament organizer signed a multi-year agreement.
IEM Kraków will take place in the Tauron Arena, which can welcome more fans than the iconic Spodek Arena in Katowice. From now on, IEM Kraków will be a recurring CS2 tournament in ESL’s calendar, just like IEM Cologne, as it will effectively replace IEM Katowice for the coming years.
“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,” ESL FACEIT Group’s VP of Product Development Michal “Carmac” Blicharz said in an official statement.
“Today, 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 new pages to it in Kraków, on a bigger scale than ever before.”
Aleksander Miszalski, the Mayor of Kraków, also commented on the partnership with ESL. For Miszalski, IEM Kraków is a chance to present the city to new audiences as an “ideal destination for business, tourism, and investment.”
IEM Kraków will be the city’s first big Counter-Strike tournament since 2017
Too many years have passed since Kraków hosted a big Counter-Strike tournament. Credit: © PGL
While new CS2 fans may find it weird that ESL is relocating IEM Katowice to Kraków after all these years, the latter does have history with the game as well.
PGL hosted the Kraków Major 2027 in the same Tauron Arena, and it became one of the most exciting CS:GO Majors ever. Gambit made a Cinderella run, and Danylo “Zeus” Teslenko won his first and only Major by defeating Fnatic, Astralis, and Immortals in the playoffs.
IEM Kraków 2026 will boast a $1.2 million prize pool and welcome 24 teams from all over the world. Six of them will make the playoffs at the Tauron Arena, which will be played from February 6 to 8.
Feature image credit: Enos Ku | © ESL