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May 11, 2026 | Anders Frost

Intel Extreme Masters Atlanta 2026

Intel Extreme Masters Atlanta 2026 is a premier Counter-Strike 2 tournament and a part of the ESL Grand Slam VI circuit.

Intel Extreme Masters Atlanta 2026 is a premier Counter-Strike 2 tournament and a part of the ESL Grand Slam VI circuit. Hosted by ESL and sponsored by Intel, the event features 16 elite teams competing at the Georgia World Congress Center for a total prize pool of $400,000 USD and progress toward the $1,000,000 Grand Slam bonus.

Tournament Overview

< PGL Astana 2026CS Asia Championships 2026

CategoryInformation
DatesMay 11 – May 17, 2026
LocationAtlanta, United States
VenueGeorgia World Congress Center
Prize Pool$400,000 USD
Teams16
OrganizerESL
Pro Tour TierMasters (S-Tier)

Opening Round

Monday 11th of May (Times in CEST):

17.30: B8 – BetBoom
17.30: paiN – FaZe
20.00: Vitality – BC.Game
20.00: NRG – FUT
22.30: Natus Vincere – Passion UA
22.30: SINNERS – GamerLegion
01.00: Legacy – M80
01.00: Liquid – Astralis

Map Pool

  • Ancient, Anubis, Dust II, Inferno, Mirage, Nuke, Overpass

Format

Group Stage

  • Structure: Two double-elimination (GSL) format groups of eight teams each.
  • Matches: All matches are Best of Three (Bo3).
  • Progression: The top three teams from each group advance to the Playoffs:
    • Group Winners: Advance directly to the Semifinals.
    • Group Runners-up: Advance to the Quarterfinals as High Seeds.
    • Group 3rd Place: Advance to the Quarterfinals as Low Seeds.

Playoffs

  • Structure: Single-Elimination bracket.
  • Matches: All matches are Bo3, except for the Grand Final.
  • Grand Final: Best of Five (Bo5).

Prize Pool Distribution

The $400,000 USD and Frequent Flyer Tokens are spread among the participants as seen below:

PlacePrize (USD)Freq. Flyer TokensTeam
1st$150,0003TBD
2nd$60,0001TBD
3rd – 4th$40,0001TBD
5th – 6th$20,0001TBD
7th – 8th$10,000TBD
9th – 12th$7,500TBD
13th – 16th$5,000TBD

Participating Teams

TeamRosterQualification
NRGoSee, nitr0, br0, Sonic, GrimVRS North AM
Legacylatto, dumau, saadzin, n1ssim, arTVRS South AM
Team VitalityapEX, ZywOo, flameZ, mezii, ropzVRS Global
Natus Vincereb1t, Aleksib, iM, w0nderful, makazzeVRS Global
FaZe Clanbroky, Neiytu, frozen, jcobbb, TwistzzVRS Global
Team LiquidNAF, ultimate, NertZ, siuhy, EliGEVRS Global
B8npl, esenthial, alex666, kensizor, s1zziVRS Global
AstralisStaehr, jabbi, HooXi, phzy, ryuVRS Global
GamerLegionTauson, PR, REZ, hypex, SnaxVRS Global
FUT Esportsdem0n, Krabeni, cmtry, dziugss, lauNXVRS Global
paiN Gamingbiguzera, nqz, snow, piriajr, v$mVRS Global
M80Swisher, slaxz-, s1n, Lake, JBaVRS Global
BC.Game Esportss1mple, electroNic, ScrunK, krazy, SenzuVRS Global
BetBoom Teams1ren, Magnojez, Boombl4, ArtFr0st, d1LedezGlobal Qualifier
SINNERSbeastik, SHOCK, MoDo, kisserek, stressarNGlobal Qualifier
Passion UAKvem, JT, nicx, try, SenzuAmericas Qualifier
Author

Anders Frost

Read more about me

A lifelong gamer with 21 years on Steam, first introduced to Counter-Strike in 1.6 but truly hooked by CS:GO. Loves the idea of playing AWP - just not quite skilled enough to pull it off. Outside the server, a journalist with 14 years of experience covering both traditional sports and esports.

Read more about me