By Rob | Updated November 2, 2026, after the opening round
IEM Beijing 2026 runs from November 2 to 8 at the Bloomage Biotech·Biohyalux ECM Arena in Beijing, China. The CS2 tournament features 16 teams, two double-elimination groups and six playoff spots. The grand final is scheduled for November 8 at 15:30 Beijing time, with official broadcasts on ESL’s Twitch, YouTube and Kick channels.
The opening round is complete. NAVI beat Falcons 2–0, FURIA edged FaZe 2–1, and PARIVISION sent G2 into the lower bracket. Below are all eight results, the next matchups and a schedule converted for European and North American viewers.
For the wider event calendar, see our guide to upcoming CS2 tournaments.
IEM Beijing 2026 teams, groups and opening results
The field is split into Group A and Group B, with eight teams in each. Every team appears in the opening-round table below. Scores show maps won, with the winner listed first in the result column.
| Group | Opening match | Final result |
|---|---|---|
| A | Legacy vs The MongolZ | The MongolZ won 2–1 |
| A | HEROIC vs B8 | HEROIC won 2–0 |
| A | FURIA vs FaZe Clan | FURIA won 2–1 |
| A | Natus Vincere vs Falcons | NAVI won 2–0 |
| B | Aurora vs Team Liquid | Liquid won 2–0 |
| B | PARIVISION vs G2 Esports | PARIVISION won 2–1 |
| B | 9z vs BETBOOM | BETBOOM won 2–1 |
| B | MOUZ vs TYLOO | MOUZ won 2–0 |
Vitality and Spirit are not participating. B8 and HEROIC qualified through the Global Closed Qualifier, while TYLOO came through the Asian Closed Qualifier. The other 13 teams received direct invitations.
Which matches are next?
The November 3 upper-bracket matchups are The MongolZ vs HEROIC, FURIA vs NAVI, Liquid vs PARIVISION and MOUZ vs BETBOOM. Each winner secures a playoff place, then continues playing for the group’s direct semifinal spot.
The lower bracket has Legacy vs B8, FaZe vs Falcons, Aurora vs G2 and TYLOO vs 9z. These are elimination matches: the losers leave the tournament, while the winners keep their qualification hopes alive.
FaZe against Falcons is particularly unforgiving. Both lost their opener, so one will finish outside the playoffs after only two series.
IEM Beijing 2026 schedule and start times
ESL’s published arena schedule lists group-stage play for November 2 to 4, followed by quarterfinals on November 6, semifinals on November 7 and the third-place match and grand final on November 8.
The table uses Beijing dates. Beijing is UTC+8, Central Europe is CET (UTC+1), and Eastern Time is EST (UTC−5) during the event. All times use the 24-hour clock.
| Stage | Beijing date | Beijing | UTC / UK | CET | Eastern Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group stage, first match slot | Nov 2–4 | 10:00 | 02:00 | 03:00 | 21:00, previous day |
| Quarterfinal 1 | Nov 6 | 14:30 | 06:30 | 07:30 | 01:30 |
| Quarterfinal 2 | Nov 6 | 17:45 | 09:45 | 10:45 | 04:45 |
| Semifinal 1 | Nov 7 | 14:30 | 06:30 | 07:30 | 01:30 |
| Semifinal 2 | Nov 7 | 17:45 | 09:45 | 10:45 | 04:45 |
| Third-place decider | Nov 8 | 12:00 | 04:00 | 05:00 | 23:00, Nov 7 |
| Grand final | Nov 8 | 15:30 | 07:30 | 08:30 | 02:30 |
The remaining scheduled group-stage slots begin at 12:30, 15:00 and 17:30 Beijing time. These are planned start times; a long series can push later matches back. The table shows match starts, rather than arena doors or opening ceremonies.
For US and Canadian Eastern viewers, the final starts at 02:30 on Sunday, November 8. The third-place series begins the night before, at 23:00 on Saturday.
How the IEM Beijing format works
Each group uses a double-elimination bracket, with every series played as a best-of-three. A first defeat sends a team into the lower bracket. A second defeat eliminates it.
Three teams advance from each group:
- Group winner: goes directly to the playoff semifinals.
- Group runner-up: enters the quarterfinals as a high seed.
- Lower-bracket winner: enters the quarterfinals as a low seed.
Winning an upper-bracket semifinal guarantees qualification, but the group final still matters. Its winner skips the quarterfinals and needs two playoff series victories to lift the trophy. Teams starting in the quarterfinals need three.
The six-team playoffs use single elimination. Quarterfinals and semifinals are best-of-three, as is the separate third-place decider. The grand final is best-of-five, so the champion must win three maps.
Beijing’s structure differs from the Swiss stage used at PGL Masters Bucharest 2026. Here, qualification depends on progressing through a fixed bracket rather than reaching a Swiss win threshold.
How much is the IEM Beijing prize pool?
The advertised $1.25 million in total winnings includes $300,000 in player prize money and $950,000 in club rewards. Those are separate portions of the event’s payout.
First place receives $125,000 in prize money plus a $235,000 club reward, totaling $360,000. Second place receives $50,000 plus $160,000, totaling $210,000. Third receives $30,000 plus $130,000, while fourth receives $20,000 plus $100,000.
That distinction explains why one listing may show $125,000 for the champion while another shows $360,000. The larger figure includes the organization’s club reward; it is not all player prize money.
How to watch IEM Beijing 2026
Watch the official English coverage on ESLCS on Twitch, ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) on YouTube, or ESLCS on Kick. During simultaneous group-stage matches, check the secondary Twitch channel, ESLCSb, or the second YouTube broadcast.
If your team is playing but does not appear on the main broadcast, check Stream B before assuming the match has been delayed. After a series finishes, the official channels are also the place to look for broadcast replays.
ESL advertises Kolex digital collectible card packs for viewers watching on Kick. These are digital card rewards, not a promise of CS2 weapon skins or souvenir packages.
For viewers attending in person, ESL says the arena shows one selected main-stage match per group-stage slot. The secondary broadcast is not shown inside the arena.
What to watch beyond the score
NAVI’s opening win leaves Falcons fighting for survival, while FURIA’s three-map victory puts them into a playoff qualification match against NAVI. In Group B, Liquid and PARIVISION can turn strong opening results into a guaranteed top-six finish with one more series win.
MOUZ also started with a sweep. Their BLAST Bounty Season 2 title and ESL Pro League Season 24 semifinal win over Spirit provide useful background when assessing their run.
The event’s listed map pool is Cache, Dust2, Mirage, Inferno, Nuke, Ancient and Anubis. If you struggle to follow the caster’s location calls, keep our Cache callouts and Mirage callouts guides nearby.
For individual performances, our CS2 stats guide explains ADR, KAST and other common broadcast numbers. Our demo controls guide helps with studying rounds once you have a replay file.
Is IEM Beijing 2026 a Major?
No. IEM Beijing is an ESL Pro Tour Masters event. It is separate from the Valve-sponsored Majors covered in our CS2 Majors 2026 guide.
Who won IEM Beijing 2026?
No champion has been decided as of November 2. The title will be settled in the best-of-five grand final on November 8. Opening-round winners have progressed through their groups; they have not yet won the tournament.
