NAVI Eliminate Falcons to Reach IEM Beijing 2026 Playoffs

NAVI reached the IEM Beijing 2026 quarterfinals by beating Falcons 2:1 in the crucial lower-bracket game. Falcons won Ancient 13:11, but afterwards, the European side almost completely lost all control of the series: NAVI annihilated their opponents 13:4 on Inferno and subsequently finished Mirage 13:3 following a fantastic 12:0 T-side half-time.

For Falcons, the loss marked their first group-stage exit at a LAN tournament this season. The team leaves Beijing less than a month before defending their title at the Singapore Major, while NAVI continue their run and secure a place in the playoffs.

"1. NAVI Eliminate Falcons to Reach IEM Beijing 2026 Playoffs","1.1. Falcons Edge Ancient","1.2. NAVI Crush Falcons on Inferno","1.3. NAVI Start Mirage 12:0","1.4. NAVI Continue Their Run in Beijing"

Falcons Edge Ancient

The opening map was the only one where Falcons were able to consistently impose their game on NAVI. kyousuke played a huge role, posting around 130 ADR in the first half and helping the team stay competitive against strong performances from b1t and w0nderful.

At the same time, NAVI became part of a rare statistical case: both b1t and w0nderful finished the map with ratings above 1.75, yet the team still lost. Falcons played the closing stages better and secured Ancient 13:11 to take the lead in the series.

NAVI Crush Falcons on Inferno

The script changed completely on Inferno. w0nderful delivered an outstanding map and finished with a 25-4 record, leaving Falcons almost no chance to get back into the game.

NAVI confidently controlled the tempo, won the opening duels, and regularly punished their opponents for positional mistakes. Falcons never found a consistent answer, so Inferno ended in a dominant 13:4 victory.

The series then moved to Mirage, where Falcons’ problems became even more obvious.

NAVI Start Mirage 12:0

The deciding map turned into the most one-sided battle of the series. NAVI won all 12 rounds of the first half on the T side, with b1t becoming the main driving force for the team.

Falcons also let several comeback opportunities slip away. The team lost 5v3 and 5v2 situations, while in one sequence makazze even knifed kyousuke. After such a difficult first half, a comeback already looked almost impossible.

Falcons managed to win only three rounds after the side switch before NAVI closed Mirage 13:3 and completed the series with a 2:1 victory.

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NAVI Continue Their Run in Beijing

b1t was the best player of the match, finishing the series with 54 kills and a 1.78 rating. w0nderful also delivered an outstanding performance with 59 kills and a 1.58 rating. No Falcons player finished the series above a 1.00 rating, with m0NESY leading the team at 0.95.

After the match, NiKo admitted that the team was clearly weaker than NAVI on Inferno and Mirage and failed to show the expected progress. For Falcons, the result is especially painful ahead of the Singapore Major, where they will defend their championship title.

NAVI, meanwhile, kept their Beijing campaign alive and will now continue in the IEM Beijing 2026 quarterfinals.