IEM Beijing 2026 starts November 2 and runs until November 8 in Beijing, according to HLTV's event page. The event has a $1.25 million total purse, split between player prize money and club share.
HLTV has published two groups of eight. The source says final start times for the opening round were not confirmed when the page was written.
Both groups use double-elimination brackets with Bo3 series. Each group winner moves directly to the playoff semifinals. The second and third-placed teams enter the quarterfinals. The playoffs are single elimination in Bo3, with a Bo5 grand final.
The winner takes $125,000 in player prize money and $235,000 in club share. Player prize money drops down the standings to $4,000 for teams finishing 13th to 16th.
The source says 11 of the 16 teams are playing in the PGL Masters Bucharest final this week, which ends two days before IEM Beijing begins. Spirit, Vitality, FUT, Nemiga and DENDELE are in Bucharest but not in Beijing. Falcons, FaZe, PARIVISION, B8 and HEROIC arrive without that tournament, according to the source. The source argues that teams going deep in Romania face a travel and short-rest gap before an opening Bo3 on November 2, which it says favors the rested sides in the first upper-bracket round.