The opening matches of the group stage at IEM Kraków 2026 have already determined the first teams to advance to the playoffs and delivered several surprising results. In Group A, G2 and Spirit secured their places in the next round, while Natus Vincere, FURIA, and FUT will have to battle through the lower bracket.
G2 started the season strongly, defeating FUT 2-1. Although Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač’s squad dropped the first map, Mirage, 9-13, they quickly bounced back, winning Dust2 and Ancient with identical scores of 13-9. This victory guaranteed G2 a spot in the playoffs and a chance to face Spirit for a direct ticket to the semifinals.
Spirit continue to dominate their matchups against NAVI, extending their impressive head-to-head record to 11-2 in their favor. In a dramatic encounter, they defeated Natus Vincere 2-0, including an overtime win on Mirage where donk’s outstanding performance helped break NAVI’s resistance. On Dust2, Spirit controlled the game entirely, leaving NAVI with no chance. Now, the Ukrainian team must regroup and fight in the lower bracket, where they will face FURIA in a rematch of the Budapest Major quarterfinal.
In Group B, the Turkish team Aurora surprised many by knocking Falcons into the lower bracket after a tense three-map series. Although NiKo and m0NESY showed strong performances, Aurora managed to shine in crucial moments, with newcomer soulfly emerging as the standout player. Falcons now face a fight for survival in the tournament.
MOUZ also secured convincing wins over NRG on Dust2 and Ancient, booking their place in the upper bracket of their group. The American side started both maps confidently but failed to maintain momentum, allowing the Europeans to seize control of the match.
In Group A’s lower bracket, FURIA narrowly avoided early elimination by defeating The MongolZ. The Brazilians trailed in the scoreline but staged an impressive comeback on Inferno and completely dominated on Nuke, thanks to a stellar performance from YEKINDAR, who delivered one of his best LAN maps ever. However, the team’s overall form this season continues to raise questions.
The competition in Kraków is heating up, and in the coming days, all playoff participants and eliminated teams will be decided. It promises to be a fierce battle right up to the final round.
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