Welcome to all esports and Counter-Strike 2 fans! From January 28 to February 8, 2026, one of the biggest tournaments of the winter part of the season, IEM Krakow 2026, will take place. The tournament will feature 24 teams competing for the championship title and a $1 million prize pool. One of the most exciting matches of the Upper Bracket Round 2 promises to be Team Liquid vs G2 Esports. We will try to determine the winner and share our CS2 betting tips and insights on this match.
How the bookies view it: G2 Esports favorite
Most bookmakers consider G2 Esports the favorites in the match against Team Liquid at IEM Krakow 2026, with odds of 1.65 versus 2.13. In the previous match, the team performed at a decent level and has good chances of advancing to the Group Stage of the tournament.
Team Liquid form. What result can be expected from Team Liquid
Our betting prediction and CS2 picks for the Team Liquid vs G2 matchup begin with analyzing Team Liquid form. Team Liquid is one of the most well-known esports organizations in history and always competes at a professional level.
Team Liquid roster: NAF, EliGE, ultimate, NertZ, siuhy.
Over the past few seasons, Team Liquid have played at an average level. Although the team participates in many S-tier tournaments, they have not achieved significant success, showing their best results mainly at A-tier events.
In the 2025 season, Team Liquid performed at an expected level. They began with a top-16 finish at BLAST Bounty Spring 2025: Closed Qualifier and a top-12 finish at IEM Katowice 2025.
At ESL Pro League Season 21, the team lost to Falcons but bounced back by defeating FURIA and Eternal Fire. After losing to MOUZ, their record became 2-2. In the decisive match for playoff qualification, Liquid defeated 3DMax. In the playoffs, they lost in the first round to the eventual champions Vitality.
At BLAST Lisbon 2025, Liquid finished in the top 12. PGL Bucharest 2025 was also disappointing: the team lost to Legacy (0-2), then to VP (0-2), and later to MongolZ, finishing in the top 16. At IEM Melbourne 2025, Team Liquid showed a somewhat better result, finishing in 5th–6th place.
Team Liquid also competed at one of the main tournaments of the year, BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. The team started directly from Stage 3, suffered three losses, and were eliminated from the tournament, finishing in the top 16.
At IEM Cologne 2025, Team Liquid showed an average level of play: they defeated paiN Gaming, lost to FaZe, and beat FlyQuest. They advanced to the Group Stage, where they lost to MOUZ and FaZe, exiting the tournament in 13th–16th place.
At BLAST Bounty Fall 2025: Closed Qualifier, Team Liquid performed quite successfully. The team confidently defeated ESTATIC and FURIA, earning a slot in the main event, where they performed worse and finished in 5th–8th place.
At BLAST Open Fall 2025: Closed Qualifier, Team Liquid also did not perform very well, achieving only one victory and being eliminated from the tournament, finishing in 9th–12th place.
At EWC 2025, Team Liquid were eliminated in the first round after losing to Vitality, finishing in 9th–16th place.
A good tournament for Team Liquid was the CS Asia Championships 2025. The team easily won Group A, defeating teams such as GL, MIBR, and Legacy. In the playoff semifinals, Team Liquid lost to 3DMAX, but in the third-place match, the team defeated HEROIC and took third place in the tournament.
Team Liquid also performed at a good level at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025. In the Group Stage, the team finished with a 3-1 record but lost in the first playoff match and were eliminated from the tournament, finishing in the top 8.
At the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, Team Liquid started from Stage 2 and finished with a 3-2 record. In Stage 3, the team suffered three losses and were eliminated from the tournament, finishing in the top 16.
At BLAST Bounty Winter 2026: Closed Qualifier, Team Liquid defeated NiP and M8 and qualified for the main tournament. At BLAST Bounty Winter 2026, Team Liquid lost their first match and were eliminated from the tournament, finishing in the top 8.
G2 form. What result can be expected from G2
We continue our CS2 tips with analyzing G2 form. G2 is one of the most well-known European Counter-Strike 2 organizations, regularly competing at the S-tier level and achieving notable success.
G2 roster: huNter-, malbsMd, HeavyGod, SunPayus, matys
G2 Esports started the 2025 season with BLAST Bounty Spring 2025: Closed Qualifier, where they secured two victories and qualified for the main tournament. At BLAST Bounty Spring 2025, the team performed at the expected level and finished in the top 4.
G2 also played at IEM Katowice 2025, but unsuccessfully. The team recorded one win and two losses and were eliminated from the tournament, finishing in the top 12.
The next tournament was ESL Pro League Season 21, where G2 managed to reach the playoffs but lost their first match and finished in the top 8.
After significant roster changes, with m0NESY and NiKo leaving the team, G2 took part in BLAST Open Spring 2025, finishing in the top 6.
A successful tournament for G2 was PGL Bucharest 2025. In the Group Stage, the team finished with a 3–0 record, and in the playoffs they reached the grand final, taking second place.
In the middle of the season, G2’s form declined somewhat, and the team rarely reached the playoffs.
At one of the main tournaments of the year, Blast.tv Austin Major 2025, G2 showed an average result. The team started directly from Stage 3, finished with a 2–3 record, and were eliminated from the tournament, placing in the top 11.
At IEM Cologne 2025, G2 Esports performed at approximately the same level. In the Group Stage, they defeated FURIA and 3DMAX and finished the tournament in 7th–8th place.
This was followed by the CS2 Esports World Cup 2025, where G2 Esports lost their first match to Team Falcons 0–2 and were eliminated from the tournament, finishing in 9th–16th place.
G2 also took part in BLAST Open Fall 2025: Closed Qualifier, where they finished in the top 6 and secured a slot in the main tournament.
A major success for the team came at BLAST Open Fall 2025. G2 defeated FaZe Clan and FURIA, and in the grand final they beat Team Vitality 3–2, becoming the champions of the tournament.
At ESL Pro League Season 22, G2 Esports performed at an average level. In the first stage, the team finished with a 3–2 record, but in the second stage they went 2–3 and were eliminated from the tournament, finishing in 9th–11th place.
At IEM Chengdu 2025, G2 once again failed to meet fans’ expectations and did not even reach the playoffs, finishing in the top 8.
Thanks to their performances, G2 finished 3rd in the BLAST Frequent Flyers Program 2025 and earned $230,769.
At the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, G2 started directly from Stage 3 and finished with a 2–3 record, placing in the top 11.
Recent head to head
Team Liquid and G2 Esports have played each other 17 times, with the former winning 5 matches and the latter winning 12. The match at IEM Krakow 2026 is important, as the winner will qualify for the Group Stage of the tournament.
Players to watch: EliGE and malbsMd
Among the players on both teams, we highlight EliGE (Team Liquid) and malbsMd (G2 Esports). Both players demonstrate a high level of gameplay and strong statistics, making a significant contribution to their teams victories.
Which maps does Team Liquid pick and ban most often?
Let’s analyze both teams map statistics to make smart CS2 picks.
Strong maps
- Nuke: high win percentage (80.0%) with 5 matches played.
- Ancient: high win percentage (66.7%) with 3 matches played.
- Mirage: high win percentage (62.5%) with 8 matches played.
Average results
- Inferno: average winning percentage (40.0%) with 5 matches played.
Weak maps
- Dust2: low win percentage (0.0%) with 2 matches played.
Which maps does G2 Esports pick and ban most often?
Strong maps
- Mirage: high win percentage (66.7%) with 3 matches played.
- Dust2: high win percentage (60.0%) with 5 matches played.
Average results
- Inferno: average winning percentage (50.0%) with 4 matches played.
- Ancient: average winning percentage (50.0%) with 2 matches played.
Weak maps
- Overpass: low win percentage (0.0%) with 4 matches played.
Predicted result of the match between Team Liquid and G2 Esports at IEM Krakow 2026
Most analysts consider G2 the favorites in the match against Team Liquid at IEM Krakow 2026. The team is a consistent participant in S-tier tournaments and occasionally ranks among the best. In the opening matches of the tournament, both teams started with victories. Analyzing the teams form and previous results, in our opinion G2 will win this match.
Betting prediction: G2 Esports wins.
