Natus Vincere and BETBOOM will face each other on November 8 at 05:00 CET in the third-place match of IEM Beijing 2026. The teams will play a Bo3 series after losing their semifinals against The MongolZ and MOUZ, respectively. BETBOOM enter the match ranked fourth in the Valve Regional Standings, while NAVI occupy ninth place. Both teams have won three of their last five matches, but BETBOOM hold a slight advantage after winning their most recent head-to-head meeting.
IEM BEIJING 2026 — TOURNAMENT CONTEXT
IEM Beijing 2026 takes place in China from November 2 to 8, featuring 16 teams competing for $1,250,000 in total winnings. The tournament began with two double-elimination groups, with six teams advancing to the single-elimination playoffs. The Grand Final will feature MOUZ against The MongolZ, while NAVI and BETBOOM will compete for third place.
The winner of the third-place match will receive $30,000 in player prize money and $130,000 in club rewards, for a combined $160,000. The fourth-place team will receive $20,000 and $100,000, respectively. Both teams have already secured top-four finishes, but the result will determine their final positions and affect their projected VRS points.
HEAD-TO-HEAD — THE TEAMS ARE LEVEL IN 2026
NAVI and BETBOOM have met twice in 2026, with each team winning one Bo3 series. Their most recent encounter took place on October 26 at PGL Masters Bucharest 2026, where BETBOOM secured a 2:0 victory.
The results of their last two meetings:
- October 26, PGL Masters Bucharest 2026 — BETBOOM 2:0 NAVI (Dust2 13:10, Nuke 13:9)
- May 17, IEM Atlanta 2026 — NAVI 2:0 BETBOOM (Ancient 13:8, Nuke 13:6)
The Bucharest series showed that BETBOOM can challenge NAVI even on maps selected by their opponents. The Russian roster won Dust2 after recovering from a 5:7 halftime deficit and followed it with another comeback on Nuke, where they overturned an 4:8 deficit.
However, NAVI have also demonstrated their ability to defeat BETBOOM convincingly. Their previous victory at IEM Atlanta gives them a reason to believe they can reverse the result in Beijing.
CURRENT FORM
NAVI — three victories in their last five matches
NAVI enter the third-place match after a 0:2 semifinal defeat against The MongolZ. The team lost Cache 10:13 and Inferno 11:13, struggling to convert several important rounds despite remaining competitive throughout the series.
Before that defeat, NAVI secured victories against PARIVISION (2:1), Falcons (2:1) and B8 (2:0). Their tournament run has shown improvement compared with the earlier loss against FURIA, although consistency remains an issue against stronger opponents.
Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov has been the strongest individual performer for NAVI over the last three months, averaging a 1.22 Rating 3.0. He has improved that figure to 1.42 at IEM Beijing, while Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy has recorded a 1.26 rating at the event. Their performances will be particularly important if NAVI want to control the series.
BETBOOM — looking to recover after the MOUZ defeat
BETBOOM also enter the match following a 0:2 semifinal defeat. The Russian team lost Ancient 7:13 and Mirage 8:13 against MOUZ, struggling to respond to the aggressive individual performances of xertioN and PR.
Before the semifinal, BETBOOM had secured three consecutive victories over FURIA (2:1), Liquid (2:1) and Aurora (2:0). Their victory over FURIA was particularly important, ending a five-match losing streak against the Brazilian team.
Kirill “Magnojez” Rodnov has been the most consistent BETBOOM player over the last three months with a 1.13 rating. Pavel “S1ren” Ogloblin follows with 1.08, while Aleksandr “zorte” Zagodyrenko has averaged 1.04. However, zorte demonstrated his potential against FURIA, finishing that quarterfinal series with a 1.35 rating and 90.2 ADR.
MAP POOL & VETO
Statistics over the last three months (NAVI | BETBOOM):
- Cache — 62% (8 maps) | 50% (6 maps)
- Dust2 — 43% (7 maps) | 25% (8 maps)
- Mirage — 33% (12 maps) | 59% (17 maps)
- Inferno — 46% (13 maps) | — (0 maps)
- Nuke — 62% (8 maps) | 67% (9 maps)
- Ancient — 60% (10 maps) | 50% (10 maps)
- Anubis — 75% (4 maps) | 55% (11 maps)
The “—” symbol indicates that BETBOOM have not played Inferno during the period.
Expected veto:
BETBOOM are highly likely to remove Inferno. The team have not played the map over the last three months and have banned it in 93% of their recent vetoes. NAVI, meanwhile, have played Inferno 13 times, making it a clear map to avoid for the Russian roster.
NAVI are more difficult to predict because they have several possible first bans. Dust2 has been their most frequent removal at 33%, while Nuke is another option. BETBOOM have a 67% win rate on Nuke, although NAVI also perform well there with 62%.
Likely maps:
NAVI could select Cache or Ancient. On Cache, they hold a 62% win rate compared with 50% for BETBOOM, while Ancient provides another statistical advantage at 60% against 50%. However, BETBOOM have already defeated NAVI on Nuke and Dust2 this season.
BETBOOM could respond with Mirage, where they have won 59% of their 17 maps compared with just 33% for NAVI across 12 appearances. Anubis is another possibility, although NAVI have a 75% win rate on the map from a smaller four-map sample.
According to the HLTV veto simulation, Ancient and Mirage each have a 61% chance of appearing in the series, followed by Anubis at 51% and Cache at 50%.
A possible veto would leave Ancient as the NAVI pick, Mirage for BETBOOM and Anubis as the decider. However, Cache is also a realistic first choice for NAVI, and the actual selection will depend on the opening bans.
KEY DUELS
- w0nderful vs zorte — the main AWP matchup. w0nderful has a 1.22 rating over the last three months compared with 1.04 for zorte. The NAVI sniper has also performed better across IEM Beijing, but zorte showed strong form against FURIA in the quarterfinals. Early AWP engagements and the ability to maintain map control will be important for both teams.
- b1t vs Magnojez — a duel between two important riflers. b1t holds a 1.12 rating over the last three months, while Magnojez has 1.13. Both players can create advantages through individual engagements, although their effectiveness will depend on how well their teams support them with utility and trading.
- Aleksib vs Boombl4 — a tactical battle between two experienced in-game leaders. Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen will need to find ways to neutralize the aggression of BETBOOM, particularly on Mirage and Nuke. Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov must ensure his team avoid the mistakes that allowed MOUZ to take control of their semifinal.
PREDICTION
NAVI have several advantages heading into this match. w0nderful has been the stronger AWPer statistically over the last three months, while b1t has delivered consistent performances in Beijing. Their map pool also provides opportunities on Cache and Ancient, where NAVI hold better win rates than BETBOOM.
However, BETBOOM have already defeated NAVI at PGL Masters Bucharest 2026 and enter the match with a stronger VRS position. Their recent victories against FURIA, Liquid and Aurora demonstrate that they can compete against high-level opponents, while Mirage offers a significant statistical advantage.
The outcome could depend on whether NAVI secure their preferred map and whether BETBOOM can reproduce their previous performances against the European roster. Both teams have recently lost to MOUZ or The MongolZ, but BETBOOM have shown slightly more convincing results against difficult opponents during their current tournament run.
BETBOOM look like narrow favorites. Their stronger Mirage statistics, recent head-to-head victory and ability to recover during close series give them a reasonable advantage, although NAVI have enough individual quality to force a deciding map.
Projected result: NAVI 1:2 BETBOOM
