FaZe Clan, 3DMAX and Astralis knocked out of IEM Kraków 2026

FaZe Clan, 3DMAX, and Astralis are the latest teams eliminated from IEM Kraków 2026 after failing to qualify for the playoffs.

The trio were unable to advance through the lower bracket of the Group Stage thanks to defeats at the hands of MOUZ, Team Falcons, and FURIA, respectively.

After crashing out of BLAST Bounty Season 1 in the online qualifiers, FaZe Clan looked to rediscover the magic that saw the team earn a place in the Budapest Major Grand Final.

MOUZ opened Mirage on the front foot, establishing a dominant 11-1 lead in the first half. FaZe Clan managed to string together some defensive round wins of its own in the second half, but was unable to overturn a huge deficit as MOUZ secured a comfortable 13-5 win.

Inferno saw a strong attacking display from a MOUZ side that is seeking its first Tier 1 trophy since February 2025. A stellar showing from Ádám ‘torzsi‘ Torzsás on Inferno spearheaded the offence, securing a 9-3 lead against a FaZe Clan struggling to find any kind of momentum.

Four defensive rounds in the second half sealed the deal for MOUZ, securing a 13-6 win to complete a 2-0 sweep.

3DMAX has had a tricky path to navigate on its way to the Kraków playoffs following a defeat to Team Vitality in Group B’s upper bracket. To remain in with a shot of earning a place at the TAURON Arena, the all-French roster faced Team Falcons, a team also looking to run the lower bracket gauntlet.

Team Falcons asserted its authority on Anubis with ease, racing away to an 8-4 lead in the first half. 21 eliminations from Maksim ‘kyousuke‘ Lukin dominated saw the player dominate on the attack side, before Team Falcons rounded off the map with a well-executed defensive strategy to win 13-5.

3DMAX responded with a strong defensive showing in the first half of Dust II, scoring an 8-4 advantage of its own. However, Kyousuke proved too hot to handle once more, scoring several multi-kills as part of a superior defence to overturn the deficit and secure a 13-9 win for a 2-0 victory.

A surprise loss to FUT Esports saw FURIA looking to keep its tournament alive in the lower bracket. After avenging its Budapest Major loss to NAVI, the top team from February’s Valve Regional Standings (VRS) battled against Astralis for a chance to make the arena.

Shockingly, the new-look international roster of Astralis struck first on its pick of Overpass, scoring a 13-8 win to put one of Counter-Strike 2’s top teams on the verge of elimination.

Astralis began Mirage with all the momentum in its favour, securing a 7-5 lead at halftime, leaving FURIA with all to do to stay alive. Kaike ‘KSCERATO‘ Cerato’s rifle proved pivotal in the second half as FURIA overturned the score before snatching the map 13-11 to send the best-of-three to Nuke.

FURIA’s defensive superiority was on full display, securing a 9-3 lead to swing the early Astralis momentum in its favour. A late comeback from Astralis kept FURIA honest, but FURIA held firm to win 13-9 to complete a reverse sweep.

As a result of defeating Astralis, FURIA is one of five teams to book a place in the IEM Kraków 2026 playoffs. The IEM Chengdu 2025 champion begins its playoff run in the quarter-finals.

Below is the full list of teams that have qualified:

The IEM Kraków 2026 playoffs take place from February 6th to 8th, where the remaining six teams compete for a share of a $1m (~£730,761) prize pool.