IEM Kraków 2026 playoffs are well underway, with the best CS2 teams fighting their hardest to lift the oldest trophy in all of esports.
Up next are the semi-finals – the first one should be a barn burner, with the in-form FURIA taking on the Danil “donk” Kryskovets’ Team Spirit.
Here’s our Spirit vs FURIA preview and predictions.
FURIA are hoping to carry on their 2025 success. Credit: © FURIA
Many CS2 fans were worried about FURIA coming out of the break, seeing how shaky they looked at BLAST Bounty and at the beginning of IEM Kraków.
They were even one round away from losing to The MongolZ and going out in last place. Thankfully, they managed to turn it around and are loking better and better with each match.
On paper, the FURIA vs. Aurora quarter-final looked to be an exciting game. However, FURIA came out all guns blazing and wiped the floor with the Turks, winning 13:7 on Dust II and 13:4 on Mirage.
We had the chance to speak with one of the best CS2 IGLs, Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, after their victory. Read the interview with FURIA FalleN.
Last time these two teams met, FURIA came out on top after a 2:0 victory. However, Spirit’s roster looked a lot different back then.
donk is as good as ever. Credit: BLAST Premier
Spirit are yet to lose a game in Kraków, having qualified straight to the semis by beating Astralis, NAVI, and G2.
As always, it was donk that topped the scoreboard. The 19-year-old is currently the second best performing player of the event, only behind Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut.
While donk is Spirit’s spearhead, the rest of the team is doing well too. The other members of the lineup take turns showing off their skills and providing necessary impact to get over the line.
That’s why this new iteration of Team Spirit is so dangerous – the whole roster is capable of shooting extremely hard and making a difference on the server.
However, this will be their first big arena match with this lineup. Will Boris “magixx” Vorobiev be able to call as good of a game on stage as he could in the studio?
KSCERATO was exceptional in the Tauron Arena yesterday. Credit: © StarLadder
The CS2 betting odds have Spirit as the favorites to win this semi-final. While that would be the common sentiment after the group stage, it might have changed since.
FURIA looked electric on stage against Aurora, with everything working exactly as they wanted it to. If they play even remotely close to that same level on Saturday, then Spirit might have little chance stopping the Brazilians.
Albeit, Spirit also have a trick up their sleeve – the best CS2 player, donk, within their ranks. Can he carry his teammates over the line?
We will soon find out.
Score prediction:
Odds:
Odds courtesy of GG.Bet Esports. Odds are subject to change.
Feature image credit: © ESL
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