The playoffs leave no room for mistakes: a single lost series immediately ends a team’s pursuit of the trophy. The first quarterfinal remained unpredictable until the third map, with the winners having to recover from a difficult start.
Tournament context
IEM Beijing 2026 has entered the Playoffs, which follow a single-elimination format. The winner of the Quarter-finals advances to the Semi-finals and continues competing for the title, while the losing team is eliminated from the tournament in 5th–6th place.
Natus Vincere and PARIVISION opened the series with a closely contested Mirage, where PARIVISION secured victory after overtime. However, NaVi responded on Inferno before completing the comeback on the deciding Ancient and eliminating their opponents from the tournament.
How the match unfolded — PARIVISION vs Natus Vincere
Series score: 2:1 in favor of Natus Vincere
- Mirage (pick Natus Vincere) — 16:14 in favor of PARIVISION
PARIVISION started the series well on their opponents’ map pick. Regulation was not enough to determine a winner, but the team performed better in the crucial overtime rounds and took a 1:0 lead. - Inferno (pick PARIVISION) — 13:9 in favor of Natus Vincere
On their own map pick, PARIVISION were unable to close out the series. Natus Vincere performed more consistently in the second half, leveled the series, and took the quarterfinal to the deciding Ancient. - Ancient (decider) — 13:10 in favor of Natus Vincere
The deciding map remained competitive until the closing stages. PARIVISION stayed within a few rounds of their opponents, but NaVi capitalized more effectively in the final stretch and completed the series comeback.
Player of the Match — Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov (Natus Vincere)
- K–D: 64–41
- ADR: 85.2
- Rating 3.0: 1.54
Key contribution: w0nderful was Natus Vincere’s main individual standout across all three maps. He finished the series with a +23 kill differential and the highest rating among all players in the match.
VRS results
- Natus Vincere — +30 pt → 1758 pt
The victory earned NaVi 30 ranking points. The team remained in eighth place in VRS but significantly reduced the gap to the teams above them while also securing a spot among the top four at IEM Beijing 2026. - PARIVISION — -9 pt → 1650 pt
The defeat cost PARIVISION nine ranking points. The team remained in 11th place in VRS, but their tournament run in Beijing ended in the opening round of the playoffs.
What’s next?
Natus Vincere advance to the Semi-finals of IEM Beijing 2026, where they will face The MongolZ. Another victory would send NaVi to the Grand final and leave the team just one match away from the title.
PARIVISION finish IEM Beijing 2026 in 5th–6th place. The team managed to take the opening map of the quarterfinal but failed to maintain their advantage in the series and exit the tournament following defeats on Inferno and Ancient.
Match summary
PARIVISION gave themselves a good chance of reaching the semifinals after winning Mirage 16:14, but Natus Vincere gradually turned the series around. NaVi responded on Inferno before securing Ancient in a closely contested battle to complete a 2:1 victory.
The winners’ main individual standout was w0nderful, who recorded a 1.54 rating, 85.2 ADR, and a 64–41 K–D record. Natus Vincere earned +30 VRS points and a place in the Semi-finals, while PARIVISION finished IEM Beijing 2026 in 5th–6th place after losing nine ranking points.
