IEM Beijing 2026: The MongolZ, FURIA and MOUZ book playoffs as FaZe, G2 and Legacy crash out

The MongolZ, FURIA and MOUZ all booked playoff places at IEM Beijing 2026 on Tuesday, 3 November. On the same day FaZe, G2 and Legacy were knocked out of the US$1.25 million Counter-Strike 2 event. Beijing is on the same time as Malaysia (UTC+8), so the final day of the group stage, which started at 10am MYT on Wednesday, is easy for local fans to follow.

The MongolZ end their Big Event playoff drought

The MongolZ beat HEROIC 2-0 in a Group A playoff decider, though the second map was very close. They won Inferno 13-7 thanks to a strong CT side. On HEROIC's pick, Nuke, they trailed 10-7 and 12-10 before winning 19-17 in overtime. According to HLTV, new signing nin9 averaged a 1.86 rating across the 12 overtime rounds, and Techno won a 1v2 to finish the map. Cobrazera was the best player in the series with a 1.30 rating and a 44-36 K-D.

The win guarantees The MongolZ a top-six finish. It is also their first Big Event playoff appearance since BLAST Rotterdam, ending a run of four straight ninth-place finishes at Big Events.

FURIA outlast NAVI, MOUZ beat BetBoom

FURIA, ranked No. 1 by HLTV and going for a third straight trophy, beat Natus Vincere 2-1 in a tight series. NAVI won Ancient in overtime, taking all four extra rounds. FURIA then won Nuke in overtime after NAVI failed to convert a 9-3 CT half, and finished the series on Cache by winning the first eight rounds. KSCERATO led FURIA with a 1.32 rating, while b1t (1.28) and w0nderful (1.26) were NAVI's best players.

In Group B, MOUZ beat BetBoom 2-0, winning Ancient 13-6 and Mirage 16-14 in overtime. AWPer torzsi finished the series with a 38-17 K-D and a 1.46 rating. After the match, captain xertioN told HLTV he thinks this is "the best MOUZ we have ever seen".

Three big names eliminated

FaZe leave Beijing without a series win. Falcons beat them 2-1 in the Group A lower bracket (Ancient 13-3, Anubis 10-13, Mirage 13-7), with kyousuke rated 1.58 and m0NESY 1.40. Aurora knocked out G2 2-1 (Nuke 13-9, Inferno 9-13, Dust2 16-13 in overtime), with Wicadia rated 1.30. HLTV notes this is G2's third straight group-stage exit at a big event. B8 also beat Legacy to end the Brazilians' run.

Away from the server, HLTV reported that players complained about the cold in the studio used for some Group B matches. Magnojez said the studio was only 15 degrees, and Aurora's woxic said he would be buying winter clothes.

Final group day: Wednesday in Malaysia time

The top three teams in each group reach the six-team playoffs. Wednesday's schedule (Beijing time, the same as MYT):

• 10am: Liquid v TYLOO and Aurora v BetBoom (Group B, elimination)
• 12.30pm: Falcons v HEROIC and NAVI v B8 (Group A, elimination)
• 3pm: Group B lower-bracket final, and PARIVISION v MOUZ for a semi-final bye
• 5.30pm: Group A lower-bracket final, and The MongolZ v FURIA for a semi-final bye

The 10am matches were still being played at the time of writing. The playoffs run from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 November at the Bloomage Biotech Biohyalux ECM Arena. The quarter-finals and semi-finals start at 2.30pm and 5.45pm, and the grand final starts at 3.30pm on Sunday, all in Malaysia time.

Key takeaways

• The MongolZ beat HEROIC 2-0, winning Nuke 19-17 in overtime, to reach their first Big Event playoffs since BLAST Rotterdam.
• FURIA beat NAVI 2-1 and MOUZ beat BetBoom 2-0 to join them in the playoffs.
• FaZe, G2 and Legacy were eliminated on 3 November.
• PARIVISION v MOUZ (3pm MYT) and The MongolZ v FURIA (5.30pm MYT) decide the semi-final byes on Wednesday.

FAQ

Which teams have qualified for the IEM Beijing 2026 playoffs? PARIVISION, MOUZ, The MongolZ and FURIA have qualified. The last two places are decided in Wednesday's lower-bracket finals.

What time are the IEM Beijing 2026 playoffs in Malaysia? Beijing is on the same time as Malaysia. The quarter-finals (Friday) and semi-finals (Saturday) start at 2.30pm and 5.45pm. The grand final starts at 3.30pm on Sunday, 8 November.

How much prize money is on offer at IEM Beijing 2026? The event has a US$1,250,000 prize pool shared among 16 invited teams.

Sources: HLTV, ESL