Tournament organizer ESL may be abandoning the annual IEM Katowice event for the tactical shooter Counter-Strike 2.
Insiders shared this information on social media. However, the reason for potentially moving the championship from Katowice has not been disclosed. According to Valve, ESL is set to hold competitions in Poland in 2026, although the specific city has not been mentioned, indicating a possible relocation of the tournament.
ESL organizers have already expressed their gratitude to representatives from Katowice on social media, marking the first time they have thanked the city after years of hosting the championship. IEM Katowice has been an annual winter tournament since 2014.
It’s worth noting that IEM Katowice 2025 was the most popular tournament in CS history outside of the majors. The mayor of Katowice, Marcin Krupa, presented the trophy, which was ultimately claimed by Team Vitality, who defeated Team Spirit in the finals with a score of 3-0 in maps.
Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut was named the Most Valuable Player, achieving his 21st career award. Vitality also joined FaZe Clan and Natus Vincere in the race for the Intel Grand Slam trophy (IGS).
The IEM Katowice 2025 tournament took place from January 29 to February 9 in Poland, with teams competing for a prize pool of one million dollars.
