B8 defeated Legacy 2:1 in the Group A lower-bracket opening round at IEM Beijing 2026, eliminating the Brazilian team from the tournament. After winning Dust2 13:11, B8 lost Cache 6:13 but recovered on Mirage to secure the deciding map 13:9.
Andrii “npl” Kukharskyi was the highest-rated player of the match with a 1.43 Rating 3.0, helping B8 advance to the lower-bracket semifinals.
Tournament context
IEM Beijing 2026 features a double-elimination Bo3 group stage, with three teams from each group advancing to the playoffs. In Lower round 1, the losing team is immediately eliminated, while the winner advances to the Lower semi-finals.
Both teams entered the match after losing their opening series. Legacy fell 1:2 to The MongolZ, while B8 suffered a 0:2 defeat against HEROIC.
For Legacy, the match was another opportunity to recover after a difficult period of results. The team had also recently introduced Italo “ksloks” Meinberg into the starting lineup, replacing Vinicius “n1ssim” Pereira.
How the match unfolded — Legacy vs B8
Series score: 2:1 in favor of B8
- Dust2 (pick B8) — 13:11 in favor of B8B8 started their map pick with a narrow 7:5 lead in the first half. Both teams won six rounds after switching sides, allowing B8 to maintain their advantage and secure the opening map. Santino “try” Rigal delivered 27 kills for Legacy, including a 1v4 clutch, but his performance was not enough to prevent the defeat.
- Cache (pick Legacy) — 13:6 in favor of LegacyLegacy responded on their own map pick, establishing an 8:4 advantage in the first half. The Brazilian team continued to control the game after switching sides, winning five of the remaining seven rounds. B8 were unable to recover, and Legacy leveled the series at 1:1.
- Mirage (decider) — 13:9 in favor of B8B8 regained control on the deciding map, building a 9:3 lead before halftime. Legacy attempted a comeback after switching sides, winning six rounds, but B8 secured the remaining four rounds needed to close the series. npl delivered another important performance, including a four-kill round, as B8 eliminated Legacy from the tournament.
Player of the Match — Andrii “npl” Kukharskyi (B8)
- K–D: 54–39
- ADR: 79.1
- KAST: 70.8%
- Rating 3.0: 1.43
Key contribution: npl was the highest-rated player across the three maps, finishing with a +15 kill differential and a +4.97% Round Swing. He recorded 25 kills on Dust2 and played an important role in the deciding Mirage victory.
For Legacy, try delivered the strongest individual performance, finishing with 57 kills, 29 deaths, 83.2 ADR and a 1.42 Rating 3.0. Despite his +28 kill differential, the Brazilian team could not secure the series.
VRS results
- B8 — +47 pt → 1,506 pt, #28 → #23The victory earned B8 47 projected VRS points, moving the team five positions higher in the standings. More importantly, B8 avoided elimination and advanced to the next round of the lower bracket.
- Legacy — -21 pt → 1,629 pt, #9 → #13The defeat cost Legacy 21 projected VRS points, dropping the team four positions in the standings. The result also ended their IEM Beijing 2026 campaign after two consecutive series losses.
These figures are based on the provided VRS projection rather than an official Valve ranking update.
What’s next?
B8 advance to the Group A lower-bracket semifinals, where they will face Natus Vincere. The match will be another elimination series, with the winner moving one step closer to the playoffs and the loser exiting the tournament.
Legacy are eliminated from IEM Beijing 2026 after defeats against The MongolZ and B8. The team finish the tournament in 13th–16th place without recording a series victory.
Match summary
B8 opened the series with a close 13:11 victory on Dust2, but Legacy responded with a convincing 13:6 win on Cache. On the deciding Mirage, B8 established a 9:3 halftime lead and held off the Brazilian comeback to secure a 13:9 victory.
npl finished as the highest-rated player with a 1.43 rating, narrowly ahead of try at 1.42. B8 earned 47 projected VRS points and advanced to face NAVI, while Legacy lost 21 projected points and were eliminated from IEM Beijing 2026.
