Look Sports Media – The opening stages of IEM Kraków have delivered intense Counter-Strike action, with G2 Esports, Parivision, and 3DMAX successfully navigating their paths to Stage 2, securing coveted spots in the top 16. As the dust settles on these early victories, the esports world eagerly awaits Friday’s deciders, which will determine the final five teams to join them in the main event.
This tournament marks G2’s inaugural appearance in 2026, following their strategic decision to bypass the BLAST Bounty event. Their qualification, however, was far from a comfortable stroll, coming down to a nail-biting series against Team Liquid.
G2 Survives Liquid’s Resurgence
Despite a narrow defeat, Team Liquid showcased encouraging signs of progress, a stark contrast to their often-struggling 2025 roster. G2 initially asserted dominance on Mirage, securing a comfortable win largely thanks to the synergistic prowess of veteran IGL Nemanja ‘huNter-‘ Kovač and breakout talent Nikita ‘HeavyGod’ Martynenko.
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However, Liquid mounted a formidable comeback on Inferno, a map historically considered a stronghold for G2. They meticulously dismantled G2’s T-side, clinching a decisive 13-6 victory. The decider on Anubis proved to be an agonizing battle of wills. G2 initially seized a commanding 9-3 lead after their T-side, only for Liquid to claw their way back, eventually taking a 12-11 lead and standing on the brink of victory on their favored T-side. Yet, G2 demonstrated their championship mettle, executing a crucial retake on the B bombsite in the final round of regulation, ultimately closing out the map 16-14 and securing their Stage 2 berth.
For Liquid, this hard-fought loss, especially with stand-in Karim ‘Krimbo’ Moussa, offers a glimmer of hope. Roland ‘ultimate’ Tomkowiak’s uncharacteristically strong performance further underscored their potential. Liquid will now face the promising ex-NaVi Junior roster, FUT, in their last opportunity to qualify. Meanwhile, G2 will be looking for a more balanced spread of fragging power, as ‘huNter-‘ topping the scoreboard consistently isn’t their ideal operational blueprint, a sentiment echoed by ‘HeavyGod’ on social media: "Thanks for carry captain, qualified to stage 2, extra day to recover and play againnnn."
3DMAX Dominates s1mple’s BC.Game
3DMAX continued to cement their reputation as a team adept at neutralizing lower-ranked opposition, and their qualifying match against BC.Game was no exception. The French squad delivered a clinical performance, sweeping Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev and Denis ‘electroNic’ Sharipov’s team with dominant 13-3 and 13-4 victories.
BC.Game appeared disoriented at times on Overpass, struggling to find their footing. Their T-sides were particularly anemic, managing only three rounds on each map, even on the heavily T-sided Anubis. This allowed 3DMAX to execute straightforward T-side strategies, highlighting the significant gap BC.Game still needs to bridge to compete effectively at this tier. BC.Game’s final chance at qualification will come against Ninjas in Pyjamas.
Parivision’s Bizarre Series, Aurora’s Collapse
BLAST Bounty champions, Parivision, secured their spot in Stage 2 after a peculiar series against Aurora. Parivision showcased their formidable form with commanding 13-5 and 13-4 wins on Mirage and Dust 2, respectively. However, sandwiched between these dominant performances was a surprising 13-5 defeat on Anubis, where Aurora managed to flip the script.
While Parivision can quickly put the Anubis anomaly behind them, Aurora faces the more significant repercussions. Their roster, despite an encouraging opening performance against GamerLegion, appeared to collapse, lacking belief and cohesion. This regression to "bad habits" was candidly addressed by IGL Engin ‘MAJ3R’ Küpeli on social media: "Everything fall away so fast when we have good setup somewhere. We try really to fix things talking but the true is we are not playing very smartly at this moment, and people headshots us better tomorrow last chance vs pain, lets finish it well. 1-2 vs @parivisionggGood things…" Aurora now faces paiN in a critical decider match.
As the final qualification matches loom, the intensity of IEM Kraków continues to build, promising more thrilling encounters before Stage 2 truly kicks off.
Darragh Harbinson is a Senior Editor and an accomplished esports writer specializing in Counter-Strike. His work has been featured across prominent platforms including looksports.media, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.
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