IEM Beijing 2026 underway: CS2 schedule in Malaysia time as FURIA, NAVI and The MongolZ chase US$1.25m
IEM Beijing 2026 started on Monday with 16 CS2 teams. Beijing shares Malaysia's time zone, so the grand final is at 3.30pm on Sunday 8 November.
The Counter-Strike 2 calendar has moved to Asia. IEM Beijing 2026 began on Monday 2 November at the Bloomage Biotech Biohyalux ECM Arena, with 16 teams competing for a US$1.25 million prize pool over seven days. Beijing is on the same UTC+8 time as Malaysia, so this is one of the rare top-level CS2 events that local fans can watch in the afternoon rather than overnight.
At the time of writing (midday Monday, Malaysia time), the opening matches were in progress and no results had been confirmed.
The groups
The 16 teams are split into two double-elimination groups of eight. Every group match is best-of-three, and the top three in each group reach the playoffs.
- Group A: Legacy, The MongolZ, HEROIC, B8, FURIA, FaZe Clan, NAVI, Team Falcons
- Group B: MOUZ, TYLOO, 9z Team, BetBoom, Aurora Gaming, Team Liquid, PARIVISION, G2 Esports
Group A looks the tougher of the two. It contains FURIA, fresh from beating Nemiga 3-2 in the PGL Masters Bucharest final, plus NAVI, Team Falcons, FaZe and Mongolia's The MongolZ. TYLOO carry home hopes in Group B.
Day 1 schedule (Malaysia time, Monday 2 November)
Two matches are scheduled in each time slot:
- 10:00: Legacy vs The MongolZ; HEROIC vs B8
- 12:30: Aurora vs Team Liquid; PARIVISION vs G2
- 15:00: 9z vs BetBoom; FURIA vs FaZe
- 17:30: MOUZ vs TYLOO; NAVI vs Team Falcons
The group stage continues on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 November, with play starting at 10:00 Malaysia time each day.
Playoffs and final times
The playoffs are a six-team single-elimination bracket in front of a crowd in Beijing. ESL lists these start times, which are the same in Malaysia:
- Friday 6 November: Quarter-finals at 14:30 and 17:45 (best-of-three)
- Saturday 7 November: Semi-finals at 14:30 and 17:45 (best-of-three)
- Sunday 8 November: Third-place decider at 12:00 (best-of-three), grand final at 15:30 (best-of-five)
Several playoff ticket tiers were already sold out on ESL's event page, which shows how much interest the event has drawn in China.
Why it matters
The field in Beijing is strong. Thirteen teams were invited through Valve's regional rankings, two came through global qualifiers and one through the Asian qualifier. For teams like The MongolZ and TYLOO, it is a chance to perform in front of an Asian crowd. For FURIA, it is a chance to follow up their Bucharest title straight away.
Key takeaways
- IEM Beijing 2026 runs from 2 to 8 November with 16 teams and a US$1.25 million prize pool.
- Beijing is on Malaysia time: the grand final starts at 3.30pm on Sunday 8 November.
- Two eight-team double-elimination groups send three teams each to a six-team playoff.
- The opening matches were still in progress at midday on Monday, Malaysia time.
FAQ
When is the IEM Beijing 2026 grand final in Malaysia time? The best-of-five grand final starts at 15:30 on Sunday 8 November, Malaysia time, which is the same as local time in Beijing.
How many teams reach the IEM Beijing playoffs? Six. The top three teams from each eight-team group advance to a single-elimination playoff bracket.
Which Asian teams are playing? The MongolZ are in Group A, and China's TYLOO are in Group B.
Sources: ESL, BLAST.tv, Strafe