Natus Vincere finished IEM Beijing 2026 in third place after a 2:0 win over BetBoom Team on November 8. The match decided who would take the final podium spot, and NAVI did not drop a single map. As a result, BetBoom Team had to settle for fourth place.
So why is this result interesting? BetBoom Team entered the series as the higher ranked side in the VRS, while NAVI were the underdog on paper. However, NAVI controlled both maps and left the event with a clear win and a boost in the ranking.
Road to the Third Place Match
IEM Beijing 2026 was played on LAN, and the third place decider was a best of 3 series. Before the match, BetBoom Team held fourth place in the VRS with 1872 points. Meanwhile, NAVI sat in ninth place with 1737 points. Therefore, the series was a chance for NAVI to close the gap and take a strong result home.
NAVI vs BetBoom Team
On Mirage, BetBoom Team’s own pick, NAVI took the map 13:6. NAVI built the win in the first half, where they led 9:3. BetBoom Team won only three rounds in the second half, and NAVI closed the map 4:3 in that half.
Ancient, the map picked by NAVI, was much closer. NAVI won it 13:9 and finished the first half with a 7:5 lead. In the second half, NAVI won six rounds, while BetBoom Team took four. As a result, NAVI secured the series and the third place.
b1t Leads NAVI With a 1.57 Rating
Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy was the best player of the match. He finished with a 1.57 rating and a 37:19 kill and death record. In addition, he had 89.6 ADR and 87.8% KAST. His swing of +5.37% shows how much he helped NAVI win key rounds.
Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov also played at a high level with a 1.41 rating and a 38:22 record. On the other side, Pavel “S1ren” Ogloblin was the best player for BetBoom Team. He posted a 1.29 rating and a 32:30 record.
VRS Impact
The result changed the VRS standings for both teams. NAVI had 1737 points before the match and gained 34 points for the win. As a result, they moved up two places, from ninth to seventh.
BetBoom Team had 1872 points before the series and lost 19 points. However, this loss was not big enough to change their position, so they stayed in fourth place.
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NAVI Take Bronze and BetBoom Team Finish Fourth
NAVI ended IEM Beijing 2026 in third place and earned $30,000. In addition, the club received a $130,000 share. Therefore, the team left Beijing with a clean 2:0 win in the final match and a better position in the VRS.
BetBoom Team finished in fourth place and earned $20,000, plus a $100,000 club share. Even though they lost the match, the team still kept fourth place in the VRS. For NAVI, however, this series was more important, because it brought a podium finish and a move into the top 7.
