IEM Kraków Preview: 5 storylines to watch out for in Stage 1

IEM Kraków will begin on Wednesday, ushering in a new era for ESL’s Winter event brought about by the move away from Katowice’s Spodek Arena to the Tauron Arena in Kraków.

But let’s not get too lyrical. We’re not in the Tauron just yet. Wednesday will mark the start of the first of two LAN hall group stages, as Stage 1 of IEM Kraków begins, with the sixteen lower-ranked teams entering the competition.

Viewers won’t be missing their beloved Spodek, the scene of some of Counter-Strike’s most remarkable moments, yet. Most viewers will likely not notice much difference in ESL’s ‘Hall of Heroes,’ besides a new lick of paint.

So let’s look at the storylines actually ahead of us in Stage 1, before we begin to over-eulogise IEM Katowice.

s1mple’s return to Tier 1

IEM Kraków will be Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev’s first Tier 1 event since the BLAST.tv Austin Major in June 2025.

That itself was after a brief, two-event cameo in FaZe. The Ukrainian ‘CS:GOAT’ showed glimpses of his former self before a disappointing individual showing against The MongolZ.

Now, the prodigal son returns, but it could hardly be in worse circumstances.

BC.Game attends IEM Kraków because they bought the former SAW core, a core which held a VRS rank of #22 at the time of IEM Kraków invites.

That ranking has already dropped to #27, following BC.Game’s humbling exit from the IEM Rio 2026 qualifiers at the hands of the lowly ranked Ursa and Team Nemesis.

The good news, arguably the only good news, is that s1mple’s individual level is still capable of being outstanding in the struggling roster.

s1mple dropped 73 kills in the losing series against Team Nemesis; the closest player to him got only 44. Of course, IEM Kraków will be a tougher test against better opposition.

Considering they already failed the test against far weaker opposition, the questionable project may already be sinking fast.

They face a tough test in their opening matchup, facing a Legacy that showed strong form in the latter half of 2025.

The acquisition of the SAW core got BC.Game this spot, they got s1mple back in Tier 1, but all signs point to it being once again a brief cameo before their ranking drop once again ostracises the org from contention.

https://twitter.com/ESLCS/status/2016095872791065085

Can Parivision maintain their BLAST Bounty form?

Parivision’s BLAST Bounty triumph was an extraordinary moment for the roster, guaranteeing their place in Tier 1 for the foreseeable future.

The Russian roster completed an astounding run which saw them defeat Ence, Astralis, Spirit, Furia, and Falcons to claim the trophy.

Unfortunately, we cannot say that every team attending the event was in their best form or giving their all to truly win the event.

Additionally, in facing Falcons in the final, Parivision’s triumph came against an opponent deprived of both Maksim ‘kyousuke’ Lukin and Danny ‘Zonic’ Sørensen.

We can, however, say two things definitively: 1) Jame does not call the same style anymore, and 2) Parivision’s young riflers have insane aim.

These observations are not new to BLAST Bounty, they were also evident in Parivision’s Budapest run, which saw them reach Stage 3 of the Major.

Jame’s calling is far more proactive and reactive than in previous years. It relies less on being right at the start of the round and allows more adaptations during it.

That system is permissible because Parivision’s rifling core is talented enough to overcome the odds, and play more expressive Counter-Strike.

Emil ‘nota’ Moskvitin, Vladislav ‘xiELO’ Lysov, Andrey ‘BELCHONOKK’ Yasinskiy, and Ivan ‘Zweih’ Gogin all had moments in Parivision’s run where they delivered huge impact for the team.

Jame has taken his group of soldiers all the way from Tier 3 to a Tier 1 trophy. At IEM Kraków, the task will be to back up that success and prove it is not just because of other teams’ weaknesses.

Astralis international roster faces first LAN test

Astralis heralded a new era with the signings of Love ‘phzy’ Smidebrant and Gytis ‘ryu’ Glušauskas, transitioning away from their traditional full-Danish lineups.

The signings were met with disappointment by some fans, who were concerned about the ambition of the organisation under its new ownership.

All signs point to Astralis’ signings being relatively frugal, relative to previous acquisitions, reflecting the dire financial circumstances Astralis’ previous ownership was reportedly under.

CEO Jonas Gundersen explained the signings as “building the team with a long-term perspective, while still delivering results in the short term.”

It is the latter half of that sentence that will be tested at IEM Kraków.

The reality is that Counter-Strike will not wait for Astralis to find its financial footing. It will continue with or without them, and in the VRS system, they must get wins to keep getting invites, prize money, and Major spots.

Astralis BLAST Bounty online showing saw them defeat Fnatic 2-1 before falling to Parivision 0-2. The latter defeat may look a tad better after Parivision’s tournament victory.

On LAN, in IEM Kraków, they face an immediate bracket which sees them face paiN, who exited BLAST Bounty at the same stage.

If they progress, they may face a high-flying young Ukrainian roster, B8, who currently sit in the Top 10 of the VRS.

A true test for Astralis, but if they have the ambition to deliver results in the short term, then they must prove it to their fans in Kraków.

https://twitter.com/AstralisCS/status/2015492411145765120

Krimbo to cameo for Liquid at IEM Kraków

Unfortunately, Keith ‘NAF’ Markovic will miss IEM Kraków due to “family matters,” as described by Team Liquid.

Karim ‘Krimbo’ Moussa will play in his place, following his benching in October 2025 from BIG.

Krimbo was one of the most outstanding and desired anchors in Counter-Strike from 2022-2024. The German was linked with multiple moves away from BIG, but the rumours never became reality.

For much of 2025, the 23-year-old cast a downbeat and depleted visage, seemingly tired of BIG’s downward trajectory until the beginning of this year.

Krimbo, as a very self-sufficient and dependable site anchor, should slot in well for NAF’s current roles in Liquid without much disruption.

While the circumstances are far from ideal, the event will be a huge opportunity for Krimbo to show a more revitalised face in a new setting.

A positive showing here could lead to an international move, finally separating Krimbo from the BIG organisation, which seemed more like a prison at times.

https://twitter.com/KrimboCS/status/2015143564636762291

Aurora and GamerLegion prepare for a symbolic clash

Aurora vs GamerLegion stands out in the first set of matches as a battle which will be hugely symbolic of where each roster is.

Aurora has already fallen to GamerLegion in 2026, losing their BLAST Bounty online match, which qualified GamerLegion to the Malta LAN.

That defeat showcased some of Aurora’s absolute worst and most lifeless habits in the server, as they collapsed on map 3 of Mirage.

Frankly, it is hard to tell at the moment whether Aurora’s players themselves believe in their project anymore, or more accurately, believe in their IGL, Engin ‘MAJ3R’ Küpeli.

The addition of Caner ‘soulfly’ Kesici cannot mend a team’s lack of trust in calls, and that lack of trust seemingly plays out in hesitant and static gameplay.

For GamerLegion, it has been a positive start to the season under Janusz ‘Snax’ Pogorzelski and new head coach, Adrian ‘imd’ Pieper, who was previously Ashley ‘Ash’ Battye’s assistant.

Their rifling core seems more involved and in a better state going into 2026 than their tepid end to 2025, but the bigger picture of the roster remains to be seen.

LAN is a different story, after all. But if Aurora falls to GamerLegion again, it will be a true sign of where the teams are.

The teams are paired with Parivision and Heroic in the bracket, a brutal way to start the event. One loss here, and they may be in trouble of elimination in last place.

https://twitter.com/GamerLegion/status/2015786850586136696