The Grand Finals of the IEM Beijing 2026 are set after two action-packed semi-final clashes. MongolZ secured a dominant win against NAVI to open the semi-finals, followed by an impressive display by MOUZ to send BETBOOM home. With a million on the line, here is how the semi-finals set up the interesting clash:
MongolZ clean sweep NAVI
The Asian side’s pistol-round win earned them a 3-0 start before NAVI could hit the board. The first round gave them some dominance in the middle of the half, only for MongolZ to walk away with a big lead by converting the final few rounds. Swapping sides with a 4-round deficit, NAVI took the lead for the first time on the map, winning five in a row on their offence before MongolZ could find their footing. Shuffling their defence and taking a more proactive approach following a timeout, MongolZ managed to effortlessly close out the map, winning 4 out of the final 5 rounds of Cache. Winning their opponents’ pick with a 13-10 scoreline, MongolZ took the lead in the series, with blitZ topping the charts with 24 kills and 1.71 IR.
Having lost their opponents’ pick, NAVI saw MongolZ convert their second-round force after winning the pistol. Building off it, they pulled in 5 rounds in the first half to make the map competitive as NAVI remained dominant for the better part of the half. Swapping sides, MongolZ pulled in 5 rounds in a row to take the lead in the map before the NAVI offence started converting rounds. Despite taking the lead, MongolZ managed to secure the final three rounds of the half as they narrowly secured Inferno with a 13-11 win. Going all the way for 24 rounds, Wonderful’s heroics fell short against a brilliant display of teamwork by MongolZ as they booked their place in the Grand Finals.
MOUZ vs BETBOOM
The solid 4-0 lead for BETBOOM to start the game saw the scoreline get levelled as MOUZ won four rounds of their own. Closing the half with three-round streaks, MOUZ edged out a 7-5 lead as they built on the solid start of the offence. With BETBOOM struggling on the defence, MOUZ used the opportunity to cruise past the CIS side and secure an opening map with a convincing 13-7 scoreline.
Coming from a one-sided victory in map one, MOUZ got off to a 3-0 start, as BETBOOM had to wait till the first gun round to get on the board. With both teams struggling to find momentum, the half closed with a levelled scoreline, blowing the game wide open. Having struggled to remain dominant, MOUZ started their defence on a better note. As MOUZ continued their streak, BETBOOM managed to secure some rounds, but they were too few and far between. The sheer disparity in the quality of both sides became readily apparent as the MOUZ defence proved to be too strong for BETBOOM to break, leading to an effortless closing of the map with a 13-8 scoreline.
IEM Beijing is one of the biggest events ahead of the Major, and while the likes of Spirit and Vitality chose to skip this, it will serve as an interesting test for others, where they can unveil the gaps in their game. Two of the biggest names are in the Grand Finals, and given their recent performances, it is anybody’s trophy to take.
