9z vs. BETBOOM at IEM Beijing 2026:Two Directions Since October 6
9z beat BETBOOM 2-0 at the Pro League with the same ten players who meet in Beijing — but the two teams' results have gone opposite ways since.
When 9z and BETBOOM met at ESL Pro League Season 24 on October 6, 9z won 2-0. Both teams bring the same five players to Beijing, but their results have gone in opposite directions since: BETBOOM reached a final and a quarter-final, while 9z finished last in Bucharest.
Match
9z vs. BETBOOMTournament
IEM Beijing 2026Stage
Group B · Opening Round
Date
November 2, 2026
Time
08:00 CET · 15:00 Beijing
Format
Best of 3
Player names link to their HLTV.org profiles.
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October 6: A Clean 2-0
9z won Mirage 13-9 and Dust2 13-8 at the Pro League. It is the only time these two teams have met, and the same ten players will be on the server on Monday, which is rare for a head-to-head in this field. On the scoreboard, it is the clearest reference point of any opening match in Group B.
BETBOOM's Month
Since then, BETBOOM have played two of the best events of their year. At the Thunderpick World Championship they beat PARIVISION, Legacy and Falcons, and took FURIA to five maps in the final before losing 3-2. Magnojez was named an EVP (1.22 Rating 3.0). In Bucharest they beat Nemiga, Spirit and Natus Vincere, then lost to FURIA again in the quarter-finals. Boombl4 leads the team, and zorte has played the AWP for six months. Ninth in the HLTV ranking and sixth in Valve's, BETBOOM are higher-rated than 9z on both lists.
9z After Bucharest
9z finished fifth-to-sixth at the Thunderpick World Championship, beating Aurora 2-0 before losses to Falcons and, in a second meeting, Aurora. Bucharest went worse: losses to Vitality and MOUZ, then a 1-2 elimination by TYLOO, who were playing with their coach WeiJie "zhokiNg" Zhong in place of an ill Dongkai "Jee" Ji. HLTV described 9z's last-place finish as shocking. The core around in-game leader max and AWPer meyern has been together for most of the year, so 9z can still draw on the level they showed on October 6.
The Map Picture
Nuke is the clearest difference. BETBOOM have won 71% of their recent Nuke maps, while 9z have won 25% of theirs (12 maps). Mirage, the map 9z won in October, is roughly even (50% for 9z, 58% for BETBOOM).
What's at Stake
The winner meets the winner of MOUZ vs. TYLOO in Group B's upper-bracket semi-finals. The loser drops into the lower bracket, one defeat from going home.
More IEM Beijing 2026 Coverage
See all 16 teams, both groups, the full schedule and every result.
