Opening matches to watch in the IEM Krakow 2026 Play-In

The IEM Krakow 2026 Play-In begins tomorrow, with 16 teams entering the tournament early before the full Group Stage begins. With eight opening matches on day one of IEM Krakow 2026, they can’t all be bangers. That’s why we’re looking at the three matches you should be paying attention to as one of the biggest CS2 events of 2026 kicks off with a bang.

HEROIC vs. PARIVISION

After winning BLAST Bounty, all eyes are suddenly on PARIVISION. Jame has put together a winning team once again, and no one is quite sure how to quantify them at this point.

PARIVISION face HEROIC in their IEM Krakow 2026 Play-In opening match, a tough test against a talented young roster. Following the Bounty win, this match is pretty much required viewing. We’ll get to see if PARIVISION can stand up in the face of increased expectations and dispatch (on paper) inferior opposition, or whether we may have been witness to a huge fluke at BLAST Bounty.

Legacy vs. BC.Game

It should be obvious as to why we think Legacy vs. BC.Game is arguably the most exciting opening match of the IEM Krakow 2026 Play-Ins. It’s all down to one man: s1mple. The GOAT is back at a Tier 1 LAN with his hodge-podge BC.Game lineup, which has been widely criticised since it brought in the SAW core of MUTiRiS, krazy, and aragornN.

Regardless of your opinions on this BC.Game lineup, you can’t deny there’s an X-factor to watching s1mple play, regardless of whether he performs or not. He’s a Counter-Strike showman, and you can’t look away. Legacy are a very strong opponent, and I expect them to beat BC.Game, but I just want to see some CS:GOAT highlights before all is said and done.

FUT vs. 3DMAX

Both FUT and 3DMAX are two teams that feel ready to step up a level in 2026. For 3DMAX, we’ve had that feeling for a while, and they’ve just kind of remained stagnant. On the flip side, FUT are an exciting young roster that continue causing problems for every team they face, proving they were always far too good to stay with NAVI Junior.

Overall, I’d put these two teams on pretty level pegging right now. That’s why this IEM Krakow 2026 Play-In opener is so intriguing – it’ll give us a good barometer for where they’re at right now. Perhaps not quite a glimpse at either of their ceilings, but an interesting test nonetheless.