Team Vitality and Aurora Gaming secure IEM Krakow playoff places

Team Vitality and Aurora Gaming have booked a place in the IEM Kraków 2026 playoffs following victories in the Group B upper bracket.

The pair swept aside 3DMAX and MOUZ, respectively, to earn a place in the upper bracket final, securing a place in the top six and a chance to compete at the TAURON Arena.

Having defeated BC.Game with a convincing 2-0 scoreline, the defending Major champions took on a 3DMAX side, continuing to spearhead the resurgence of an all-French line-up making an impact on the international stage.

Despite signs of 3DMAX putting up a fight, Team Vitality put its opponent to the sword with a dominant 13-6 victory on Inferno, led by 21 eliminations from Shahar ‘flameZ‘ Shushan. Dust II saw Team Vitality demonstrate its attacking prowess, scoring nine rounds out of a possible 12 in the opening half.

3DMAX managed to string together three attacking rounds of its own in the second half, but Team Vitality’s defence held strong for four rounds to complete a 13-6 win and another 2-0 sweep.

The result continues Team Vitality’s strong Kraków campaign. The French organisation is yet to concede a map across its opening two matches.

After failing to earn a place in Stage 3 of the Budapest Major, Aurora Gaming’s decision to sign Caner ‘soulfly‘ Kesici has paid off with the Turkish team earning a place in its first playoffs since victory at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025.

Nothing could separate Aurora Gaming and MOUZ in the first half of Dust II, until Aurora’s defence in the second half proved pivotal in halting one of 2025’s most consistent teams. 17 eliminations from Engin ‘MAJER‘ Küpeli led the charge to a 13-7 win for an early lead in the best-of-three.

Aurora Gaming’s defence remained a focal point on Inferno, securing an 8-4 lead at halftime. Even with a late resurgence from MOUZ, the Turkish attack continued to break through to round off the map with a 13-9 scoreline and complete the 2-0 victory.

Team Vitality and Aurora Gaming join G2 Esports and Team Spirit in the IEM Kraków 2026 playoffs, with two more teams joining them as the Group Stage reaches its climax.

Team Vitality and Aurora Gaming will face off in the upper bracket final of Group B to determine which team enters the playoffs with the higher seed. The top seed starts the playoffs in the semi-finals, while the runner-up begins in the quarter-finals.

Fans can tune into the remaining Group Stage matches across ESL’s Twitch and YouTube channels.