CS2 comes to Asia's time zone: IEM Beijing and BLAST Rivals Hong Kong draws set before Singapore Major

Counter-Strike 2 fans in Malaysia usually watch big events late at night or very early in the morning. In November and December that changes. Three top-tier events will be played in the same UTC+8 time zone as Kuala Lumpur, and this week the first two published their opening draws.

IEM Beijing: 2-8 November

ESL's IEM Beijing has 16 teams and a US$1.25 million prize pool, split into US$300,000 for players and US$950,000 for clubs. There are two double-elimination groups of eight, with best-of-three matches. The group winners go straight to the semi-finals. Second and third place in each group go to the quarter-finals. The playoffs are single elimination, and the grand final is best-of-five.

Group A openers:

• NAVI vs Falcons
• FURIA vs FaZe
• HEROIC vs B8
• Legacy vs The MongolZ

Group B openers:

• G2 vs PARIVISION
• BETBOOM vs 9z
• Liquid vs Aurora
• MOUZ vs TYLOO

HLTV picked out NAVI against Falcons as the main opening match, as it repeats their ESL Pro League Season 24 meeting. The two Asian teams in the field are China's TYLOO, who play MOUZ, and Mongolia's The MongolZ, who play Legacy. The MongolZ arrive in form after winning 1win Private Club Season 2 in Belgrade this week.

BLAST Rivals: Hong Kong, 11-15 November

The following week, BLAST Rivals 2026 Season 2 comes to Chek Lap Kok in Hong Kong. Eight teams play in two groups of four, with the top teams going into a six-team playoff bracket. By HLTV's 19 October ranking, every team in it is in the world's top 10.

Opening matches:

• Group A: Vitality vs Falcons, and Legacy vs FURIA
• Group B: Spirit vs FUT, and MOUZ vs G2

Vitality and Falcons will be meeting for the fifth time this year. Legacy against FURIA is a Brazilian derby. FUT will have SunPayus, who joined from G2, at only his second event with the team.

The Singapore Major follows

PGL Major Singapore runs from 25 November to 13 December. Its finals are at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from 10 to 13 December. It is the first CS2 Major in Southeast Asia and has 32 teams and a US$1.25 million prize pool. Several teams are still fighting for invites, and tournaments such as RLG Tesla Cup and HyperX Retake Season 13 could decide the last places.

Why it matters for Malaysian viewers

Beijing and Hong Kong use the same time as Malaysia. Daily schedules have not been published yet, but local afternoon and evening sessions would mean live viewing in Malaysia without staying up late. The two events also act as warm-ups for the Singapore Major, so fans can see how the teams are shaping up before December.

PGL Masters Bucharest is on before all of this, from 24 to 31 October. Several teams, including NAVI, will also travel to Lisbon for HyperX Retake (29 October to 1 November) before flying to Beijing.

Key takeaways

• IEM Beijing runs from 2 to 8 November with 16 teams and a US$1.25 million prize pool. NAVI vs Falcons is the headline opening match.
• TYLOO open against MOUZ and The MongolZ against Legacy in Beijing.
• BLAST Rivals Season 2 is in Hong Kong from 11 to 15 November, with Vitality vs Falcons in Group A.
• PGL Major Singapore follows from 25 November, and its finals are at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from 10 to 13 December.

FAQ

When does IEM Beijing 2026 start? IEM Beijing runs from 2 to 8 November 2026. Beijing is on UTC+8, the same as Malaysia, so local match times will also be Malaysia times.

Which Asian teams are playing at IEM Beijing? TYLOO from China and The MongolZ from Mongolia. TYLOO open against MOUZ in Group B, and The MongolZ play Legacy in Group A.

Where is BLAST Rivals Season 2 being held? It is in Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong, from 11 to 15 November 2026, with eight teams in two groups of four.

Sources: HLTV, Little Big Red Dot, esports.gg