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. Among the matches of the third game day, we highlight Astralis vs NRG, which promises to be exciting. While the teams prepare, we’ll share our CS2 betting tips and insights on this match.
How the bookies view it: Astralis favorite
According to the bookmakers, Astralis are the favorites in the match against NRG at IEM Krakow 2026, with odds of 1.55 versus 2.31. The team secured a confident victory in their first match of the tournament.
Astralis form. What result can be expected from Astralis
Our betting tips and CS2 picks for the Astralis vs NRG matchup begin with analyzing Astralis form. CS fans surely know this team, as they have achieved many victories at the highest level.
Astralis roster: Staehr, jabbi, HooXi, phzy, ryu.
The 2025 season began for Astralis with hopes of returning to the top of the professional CS2 scene.
The team started with a performance at BLAST Bounty Spring 2025: Closed Qualifier, where they finished in the top 16.
Astralis then competed at IEM Katowice 2025. In the Play-In stage, the team advanced by winning through the lower bracket. In the Group Stage, Astralis reached the Lower Bracket Semifinal and were eliminated from the tournament, finishing in the top 12.
Astralis won RES Showdown Spring 2025 and earned a slot at BLAST Open Spring 2025.
The team also achieved a strong result at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025. Despite an inconsistent performance in the Group Stage, Astralis played well in the playoffs, defeating FaZe in the match for third place and becoming the bronze medalists of the tournament.
At BLAST Open Spring 2025 and PGL Bucharest 2025, Astralis performed below expectations, finishing in the top 16 and top 11 respectively.
Another successful tournament for Astralis was PGL Astana 2025. In the Group Stage, the team finished with a 3–1 record, and in the playoffs they reached the Grand Final and became the silver medalists of the tournament.
Astralis started IEM Cologne 2025 with a 2–0 win over B8, then lost 0–2 to FURIA and defeated paiN Gaming 2–1, which allowed them to advance to the Group Stage of the tournament.
In the Group Stage, Astralis suffered two defeats and were eliminated from the tournament, finishing 13th–16th.
Astralis performed successfully at BLAST Bounty Fall 2025: Closed Qualifier — the team secured victories over Rare Atom and Natus Vincere, earning a slot in the main event.
At BLAST Bounty Fall 2025, Astralis lost to MOUZ and were eliminated from the tournament in the top 8.
The next tournament for Astralis was the Esports World Cup 2025, where they lost their first match to TYLOO and finished in the top 16.
At ESL Pro League Season 22, Astralis passed Stage 1 with a 3–2 record, but in Stage 2 they went 0–3 and were eliminated from the tournament, finishing in 15th–16th place.
At PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, Astralis finished the Group Stage with a 2–3 record and were eliminated from the tournament, placing 9th–11th.
At IEM Chengdu 2025, Astralis performed somewhat better. The team secured several wins against strong opponents and finished in 5th–6th place.
At one of the main tournaments of the year, StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, Astralis failed to impress fans with strong results. In Stage 2, the team finished with a 2–3 record and were eliminated from the tournament, placing 17th–19th.
At the BLAST Bounty Winter 2026: Closed Qualifier, Astralis performed below the expected level, finishing in the top 16.
NRG form. What result can be expected from NRG
We continue our CS2 tips with analyzing NRG form.
NRG roster: oSee, nitr0, Jeorge, br0, Sonic.
The American team is mostly known for its performances at B- and C-tier tournaments, where it is one of the strongest teams in its region.
The 2025 season was an active one for NRG. The team showed consistently strong results in North America and made several attempts to establish itself at the highest level of the professional Counter-Strike 2 scene.
The team started the year with a victory at Launders LAN #2, which set a positive tone for the entire season. In February, NRG continued to build momentum by winning CCT Season 2 North American Series #4, where the level of competition was already higher.
NRG also won the Intel Extreme Masters Dallas 2025: North American Qualifier, securing a spot at a major LAN event.
At the beginning of spring, NRG competed in ESL Pro League Season 21, where they finished in 20th–22nd place. After that, they played in the qualifiers for PGL Astana 2025 and BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, finishing 3rd–4th and 3rd respectively.
Next, NRG won NA Revival Series #6 and later confidently became champions of ESL Challenger League Season 49: North America, earning $25,000 in prize money. However, at S-tier tournaments—IEM Dallas 2025 and BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025—the team was unable to perform as desired, finishing in the top 16 and top 27 respectively.
During the summer part of the season, NRG consistently competed in B- and C-tier tournaments. At the Thunderpick World Championship 2025: North American Series #2, NRG placed in the top 4, and they also became silver medalists at Ace North American Masters Fall 2025. Among the key successes was a victory at CCT Season 3 North American Series #1.
In the autumn part of the season, NRG continued to perform well at B- and C-tier tournaments. The team won ESL Challenger League Season 50: North America – Cup #1, Fragville 2025, NA Revival Series #10, and FRAG Ultra Mega Jersey 2025, and later became champions of ESL Challenger League Season 50: North America, finishing the tournament undefeated.
NRG also played in ESL Pro League Season 22 but had an unsuccessful run, suffering three losses and finishing in the top 24.
At one of the main tournaments of the year, StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, NRG started very well with victories over NiP and FaZe, but then suffered three losses and were eliminated from the tournament, finishing in the top 27.
In the 2026 season, NRG continued their strong performances at B- and C-tier tournaments and also qualified for IEM Krakow 2026 through the VRS Global ranking.
Recent head to head
The match at IEM Krakow 2026 will be the first meeting between Astralis and NRG. The winner of this match will advance to the Group Stage of the tournament.
Players to watch: jabbi and nitr0
Among the players on both teams, we highlight jabbi (Astralis) and nitr0 (NRG). Both players demonstrate a high level of gameplay and strong statistics, making a significant contribution to their teams victories.
Which maps does Astralis pick and ban most often?
Let’s analyze both teams map statistics to make smart CS2 picks.
Strong maps
- Overpass: high win percentage (100.0%) with 3 matches played.
- Inferno: high win percentage (75.0%) with 4 matches played.
Average results
- Nuke: average winning percentage (50.0%) with 8 matches played.
- Ancient: average winning percentage (40.0%) with 4 matches played.
- Dust2: average winning percentage (50.0%) with 2 matches played.
Weak maps
- Mirage: low win percentage (25.0%) with 8 matches played.
Which maps does NRG pick and ban most often?
Strong maps
- Overpass: high win percentage (80.0%) with 5 matches played.
- Mirage: high win percentage (66.7%) with 12 matches played.
- Inferno: high win percentage (66.7%) with 12 matches played.
- Dust2: high win percentage (58.3%) with 12 matches played.
Average results
- Nuke: average winning percentage (50.0%) with 4 matches played.
Predicted result of the match between Astralis and NRG at IEM Krakow 2026
Determining the winner of the Astralis vs NRG match at IEM Krakow 2026 is quite difficult. Both teams started the tournament with victories and showed a good level of play. Most experts consider Astralis the favorites, as the team is more renowned and has greater experience competing at S-tier tournaments. In our opinion, based on previous results, Astralis will win this match.
Betting prediction: Astralis wins.
