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 first day of play, we highlight Astralis vs paiN Gaming, which promises to be an exciting matchup. While the teams prepare, we’ll share our CS2 betting tips and insights on this match.
How the bookies view it: paiN Gaming favorite
Most bookmakers, with a slight advantage, consider paiN Gaming the favorites in the match against Astralis at IEM Krakow 2026, with odds of 1.76 versus 2.02. The team is a consistent participant in S-tier tournaments and occasionally demonstrates strong results.
Astralis form. What result can be expected from Astralis
Our betting tips and CS2 picks for the Astralis vs paiN Gaming 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.
paiN Gaming form. What result can be expected from paiN Gaming
We continue our CS2 tips with analyzing paiN Gaming form. The team is one of the strongest in its region and occasionally demonstrates a good level of play on the international stage.
paiN roster: biguzera, nqz, snow, piriajr, v$m.
The 2025 season began with BLAST Bounty Season 1, where paiN once again made it through qualifiers by defeating GamerLegion and FaZe. In the playoffs, they faced NaVi and came close to victory, but lost 1-2, finishing top 6—a sign that this team is aiming higher.
At IEM Katowice 2025, they placed top 20, but did much better at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025: they went 3-1 in the group stage with wins over Astralis, Falcons, and VP, losing only to MongolZ in a tight match. Unfortunately, in the playoffs they fell in the first round to MOUZ and finished top 8.
At ESL Pro League Season 21, they advanced from the group stage with a 3-2 record. In the top 16, they beat GamerLegion but lost to G2 and NaVi, and were later eliminated by Eternal Fire, placing top 14.
After that, paiN played at PGL Bucharest 2025 and IEM Melbourne 2025, finishing top 16 in both events.
At the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, paiN started their run in the second stage, qualifying for the third stage with a 3-1 record. They lost their first two matches to strong opponents — Spirit and G2 — but bounced back with victories over Nemiga, 3DMAX, and VP, advancing to the playoffs with a 3-2 score.
In the playoffs, paiN defeated FURIA 2-1, but in the semifinals, they lost to The MongolZ 0-2, finishing 3rd-4th at the tournament.
After the success at BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, paiN Gaming slightly declined in form. The team placed top 20 at IEM Cologne 2025, top 16 at BLAST Bounty Fall 2025: Closed Qualifier, and top 12 at CS Asia Championships 2025.
At PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, paiN Gaming performed at an average level. In the group stage, the team went 3–0, but lost their first playoff match and were eliminated from the tournament, finishing in the top 8.
At IEM Chengdu 2025, paiN Gaming also disappointed their fans, earning only one victory against TYLOO and finishing in the top 12.
The team performed best at BLAST Rivals Fall 2025. In the group stage, paiN Gaming finished with a 1–1 record, and in the playoffs showed a similar performance with one win and one loss, finishing in the top 4.
Based on their overall performances, paiN Gaming finished in 8th–10th place in the BLAST Frequent Flyers Program 2025 and earned $76,923.
The team also competed at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. paiN Gaming started directly from Stage 3, finished with a 1–3 record, and were eliminated from the tournament, placing 12th–14th.
At the BLAST Bounty Winter 2026: Closed Qualifier, paiN Gaming performed below expectations, finishing in the top 16.
Recent head to head
Astralis and paiN Gaming have played each other six times, the former won four matches, while the latter won two. The match at IEM Krakow 2026 is not a rivalry one, but neither team will back down.
Players to watch: jabbi and biguzera
Among the players on both teams, we highlight jabbi (Astralis) and biguzera (paiN Gaming). 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 2 matches played.
- Inferno: high win percentage (66.7%) with 6 matches played.
Average results
- Nuke: average winning percentage (50.0%) with 10 matches played.
- Ancient: average winning percentage (40.0%) with 5 matches played.
Weak maps
- Mirage: low win percentage (22.2%) with 9 matches played.
- Dust2: low win percentage (0.0%) with 1 matches played.
Which maps does paiN Gaming pick and ban most often?
Strong maps
- Mirage: high win percentage (60.0%) with 5 matches played.
- Nuke: high win percentage (58.3%) with 12 matches played.
Average results
- Dust2: average winning percentage (50.0%) with 6 matches played.
- Inferno: average winning percentage (50.0%) with 4 matches played.
- Overpass: average winning percentage (50.0%) with 4 matches played.
Weak maps
- Ancient: low win percentage (20.0%) with 5 matches played.
Predicted result of the match between Astralis and paiN Gaming at IEM Krakow 2026
Most analysts consider paiN Gaming the favorites in the match against Astralis at IEM Krakow 2026. Both teams had a similar start to the season, finishing in the top 16 at BLAST Bounty Winter 2026. In their matches, paiN Gaming performed slightly better. In our opinion, Astralis will be able to find the right strategy and win this match.
Betting prediction: Astralis wins.
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