The second half of the Opening round in Group B immediately determined two more matchups for the next stage of the bracket. One series ended without reaching a third map, while in the other, the winners had to recover from a difficult start.
Tournament context
IEM Beijing 2026 features a double-elimination Bo3 group stage. The winners of the Opening round advance to the Upper semi-finals and continue on the direct path to the playoffs, while the losing teams drop to Lower round 1, where another defeat will end their tournament runs.
Liquid comfortably defeated Aurora in two maps, while PARIVISION recovered from losing Dust2 to turn the series around against G2 on Anubis and Ancient. As a result, Liquid and PARIVISION will meet in the Upper semi-finals, while Aurora and G2 will face each other in the first round of the lower bracket.
How the match unfolded — Aurora vs Liquid
Series score: 2:0 in favor of Liquid
- Inferno (pick Liquid) — 13:3 in favor of Liquid
Liquid immediately established a one-sided contest on their own map pick. Aurora struggled to find opportunities to consistently secure rounds, while the North American roster quickly built a substantial lead and closed out Inferno without difficulty. - Anubis (pick Aurora) — 13:4 in favor of Liquid
The situation barely changed on Aurora’s map pick. Liquid once again controlled most of the key moments, prevented their opponents from mounting a comeback, and finished the match with a convincing 2:0 victory.
Player of the Match — Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski (Liquid)
- K–D: 36–15
- ADR: 104.9
- Rating 3.0: 1.81
Key contribution: EliGE was Liquid’s main individual standout and finished the two maps with more than twice as many kills as deaths. His 104.9 ADR and 1.81 rating best reflect the team’s overall dominance in this series.
How the match unfolded — PARIVISION vs G2
Series score: 2:1 in favor of PARIVISION
- Dust2 (pick PARIVISION) — 13:9 in favor of G2
G2 managed to disrupt their opponents’ start to the series by winning PARIVISION’s own map pick. The match remained competitive, but G2 performed more consistently in the decisive rounds and gained the advantage heading into Anubis. - Anubis (pick G2) — 13:7 in favor of PARIVISION
PARIVISION responded on their opponents’ map pick. The team controlled the pace of the game much more effectively, established a comfortable lead, and took the series to the deciding Ancient. - Ancient (decider) — 13:9 in favor of PARIVISION
On the third map, PARIVISION completed the comeback. G2 remained competitive for much of Ancient, but PARIVISION performed better in the closing stages and secured the rounds needed to advance to the Upper semi-finals.
Player of the Match — Dzhami “Jame” Ali (PARIVISION)
- K–D: 63–33
- ADR: 102.1
- Rating 3.0: 1.46
Key contribution: Jame was PARIVISION’s most consistent player across all three maps. He finished the series with a +30 kill differential, exceeded 100 ADR, and was a key reason why the team managed to turn the match around after losing Dust2.
VRS results
- Liquid — +47 pt → 1576 pt
The victory brought Liquid a significant ranking boost. The team climbed from 21st to 15th place in VRS and secured a comfortable start in Group B by advancing to the upper bracket. - Aurora — -24 pt → 1836 pt
The defeat cost Aurora 24 ranking points and dropped the team from fourth to fifth place in VRS. Following a clean sweep defeat in their opening match, the roster must now continue the tournament through the Lower Bracket. - PARIVISION — +43 pt → 1605 pt
The victory over G2 earned PARIVISION 43 ranking points and lifted the team from 19th to 12th place in VRS. Combined with their advancement to the Upper semi-finals, this became one of the most significant results of the opening round in Group B. - G2 — -14 pt → 1603 pt
The defeat cost G2 14 ranking points and dropped the team from 11th to 13th place in VRS. After winning Dust2, the team failed to close out the series and will now move into an elimination match.
What’s next?
Liquid and PARIVISION will face each other in the Upper semi-finals of Group B. The winner of this series will advance to the Upper final and take another step toward direct qualification for the IEM Beijing 2026 playoff semi-finals.
Aurora and G2 will face each other in Lower round 1. For both teams, this is already a do-or-die match: the winner will continue competing in the Lower semi-finals, while the losing team will be eliminated from IEM Beijing 2026.
Match summary
Liquid delivered the most one-sided series of this Opening round block, allowing Aurora to win just seven rounds across two maps. PARIVISION faced a much tougher path: after losing Dust2, the team won Anubis and Ancient to complete the comeback against G2.
The main individual standouts were EliGE with a 1.81 rating and Jame with a 1.46 rating. Ultimately, Liquid and PARIVISION will continue the tournament in the Upper semi-finals, while Aurora and G2 will now face each other in Lower round 1.
