IEM Beijing 2026 runs from 2 to 8 November in Wukesong Arena in Beijing, China, with 16 teams and a $1,250,000 prize pool. The winners take $360,000: $125,000 in prize money and $235,000 in club rewards for the organization.
It is ESL’s third event in China in three years, after IEM Chengdu in 2024 and 2025. Spirit and Vitality turned down their invites, so MOUZ are the highest-ranked team in the field. Falcons arrive as Major champions without a final since June, and FURIA return to the country where they won their first IEM title a year ago.
Wukesong Arena, Beijing$1,250,00016 teamsStorylines
FURIA back where it started
FURIA won IEM Chengdu 2025 on 9 November last year, beating Vitality 3-0 in the final for the first IEM title in the club’s history. A year later they arrive as the form team: they won the Thunderpick World Championship in Malta on 18 October after a 3-2 final against BetBoom, and they are fourth in Valve’s Regional Standings (VRS).
The calendar is the problem. FURIA play PGL Masters Bucharest from 24 to 31 October and then travel straight to Beijing, and FalleN has already admitted that the team overbooked its season.
From Bucharest to Beijing in two days
Eleven of the 16 teams play in Bucharest first: MOUZ, FURIA, Aurora, Legacy, G2, BetBoom, 9z, NAVI, The MongolZ, Liquid and TYLOO. The PGL final is on Saturday 31 October, and the first matches in Beijing start at on Monday, which is 10:00 local time. China is seven hours ahead of Central Europe.
Falcons, PARIVISION, FaZe, HEROIC and B8 are the five teams that do not play in Bucharest.
Falcons look for their first final since the Major
Falcons beat FURIA 3-0 in the final of the Cologne Major in June. They have not reached a final in the five events since, and after a 2-1 loss to Aurora in the third-place match in Malta they dropped to sixth in the VRS, behind Aurora (our analysis). karrigan has said himself that his level is not good enough.
Falcons skipped Bucharest, so Beijing is their first event in two weeks. They finished third at IEM Chengdu 2025.
Spirit and Vitality stay at home
Vitality declined their invite because two of their players are on paternity leave during the event, and Spirit pointed to a busy calendar (our story). PARIVISION and FaZe took their places.
FaZe’s last trophy before October was won in China: IEM Chengdu 2024, 2-0 over MOUZ in the final. They ended the wait at Roman Imperium Cup IX in Portugal on 10 October. PARIVISION come from the other end: they finished last at the Thunderpick World Championship, where coach dastan described a softer approach with the new lineup around HObbit and FL1T.
HEROIC came through the back door
The invites were based on the VRS of 3 August, when HEROIC were not high enough for an invite. They had to play the closed qualifier in September and took the second place behind B8, with Brollan at a 1.38 rating in the deciding match, according to HLTV. Today they are 12th in the VRS, higher than six of the invited teams.
Snappi ended his playing career at the start of October to become HEROIC’s coach, and with him in charge, HEROIC finished third at Stake Pulse Beat III in Stockholm on 17 October.
A 360-degree stage and 45,000 fans
The event is played on a 360-degree stage, the first at an IEM since IEM Rio 2022, and more than 45,000 spectators are expected over the six match days, according to the Beijing city government. Several ticket tiers for both the group stage and the playoffs are sold out on ESL’s event page.
China has one team in the field: TYLOO, who won the Asia closed qualifier. The MongolZ are the second Asian team.
Schedule
No matches. Player signing sessions in Beijing.
All times CET (UTC+1). Beijing is seven hours ahead. In the group stage, two matches are played at each time, one from each group. The matchups are set when ESL draws the groups.
Where to watch
Only ESL’s own channels are listed here. Broadcasts in other languages are added when ESL announces them.
Teams
Thirteen teams were invited from the Valve Regional Standings of 3 August: ten from the global ranking and the best team from North America, South America and Asia. Three came through the closed qualifiers in early September. B8 won the global qualifier and HEROIC finished second, and TYLOO won in Asia ahead of FlyQuest.
Highest-ranked team in the field. Lost the IEM Chengdu 2024 final to FaZe.
Won IEM Chengdu 2025, ESL’s last event in China.
Three top-three finishes in a row.
Cologne Major champions. No final in five events since.
Won FISSURE Playground 3 in Suzhou in September.
Lost the Thunderpick final 3-2 to FURIA.
Took the place Spirit turned down.
Snappi took over as coach in October.
Lost one map in four matches in the qualifier.
TYLOOVRS#54The only Chinese team in the field.
VRS: rank in Valve’s global Regional Standings on 19 October. Form: placings at the team’s latest events, newest first.
Format
ESL seeds the groups by the VRS from the start of October. The groups have not been drawn yet.
Group stage
2 to 4 November- Two groups of eight
- Double elimination, all best-of-three
- Group winners: semi-finals
- 2nd and 3rd: quarter-finals
Playoffs
6 and 7 November- 6 teams, single elimination
- Quarter-finals on 6 November
- Semi-finals on 7 November
- All best-of-three
Final day
8 November- Third-place decider, best-of-three
- Grand final, best-of-five
Playoff bracket
Prize money
1stTo be decided$360,000
2ndTo be decided$210,000
3rdTo be decided$160,000
4thTo be decided$120,000
5th-6thTo be decided$87,500each
7th-8thTo be decided$54,500each
9th-12thTo be decided$25,000each
13th-16thTo be decided$4,000each
ESL splits the $1,250,000 into $300,000 in prize money for the players and $950,000 in club rewards for the organizations. Open a row to see the split.
Map pool
Tournament news
- 19 October: Deadline for the final rosters.
- 6 October: Ticket sales for the playoffs opened.
- 4 September: B8 and HEROIC won the last two places in the closed qualifier. TYLOO won the Asia qualifier.
- 13 August: ESL announced the first 13 teams. Spirit and Vitality declined, and PARIVISION and FaZe took their places.
- 1 June: Beijing’s city government presented the event in Wukesong Arena and said it expects more than 45,000 spectators.
- 30 December 2025: ESL raised the prize pool from $1,000,000 to $1,250,000 by moving $250,000 in club rewards from IEM Cologne, which became a Major in 2026.
ESL in China
| Event | Final | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IEM Chengdu 2024 | 14 April 2024 |  FaZe | 2-0 |  MOUZ |
| IEM Chengdu 2025 | 9 November 2025 |  FURIA | 3-0 |  Vitality |
Rosters
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- JamYoung
- Jee
- Mercury
- Moseyuh
- Zero
- zhokiNgCoach
Frequently asked questions
When is IEM Beijing 2026?
From 2 to 8 November 2026. The group stage runs from 2 to 4 November, 5 November is a rest day, and the playoffs follow from 6 to 8 November with the grand final on Sunday 8 November.
Where is it played?
In Wukesong Arena in Beijing, China, which carries the sponsor name Bloomage Biotech·Biohyalux ECM Arena. Fans can attend all six match days.
Where can I watch it?
On ESL’s official Twitch and YouTube channels. The first matches start at 03:00 CET on Monday 2 November, which is 10:00 in Beijing.
Which teams are playing?
Thirteen teams invited from Valve’s Regional Standings and three qualifier winners: B8 and HEROIC from the closed qualifier and TYLOO from Asia. Spirit and Vitality turned down their invites, and PARIVISION and FaZe took their places.
How much prize money is there?
$1,250,000 in total: $300,000 in prize money and $950,000 in club rewards. The winning team takes $360,000.
What is the format?
Two double-elimination groups of eight, all best-of-three. The group winners go straight to the semi-finals, and the teams in second and third place play the quarter-finals. The grand final is a best-of-five.
Does it count for the Major?
No. The invites for PGL Major Singapore are based on Valve’s Regional Standings and go out on 2 November, the day IEM Beijing starts. The results count towards invites for events in 2027.
