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 $1 million prize pool. One of the most interesting matches of the Lower Bracket Round 1 promises to be paiN Gaming vs B8 Esports. We will try to determine who will be the winner and share CS2 betting tips.
How the bookies view it: paiN Gaming favorite
Most bookmakers, with a slight advantage, consider paiN Gaming the favorites in the match against B8 at IEM Krakow 2026, with odds of 1.76 versus 1.97. In their first match, the team lost to Astralis, playing at an average level.
paiN Gaming form. What result can be expected from paiN Gaming
Our betting tips and CS2 picks for the paiN Gaming vs B8 matchup begin with analyzing paiN Gaming form. The team is one of the strongest in its region and occasionally demonstrates a good level of play on the international stage.
paiN roster: biguzera, nqz, snow, piriajr, v$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.
B8 form. What result can be expected from B8
We continue our CS2 tips with analyzing B8 form.
B8 roster: kensizor, npl, esenthial, alex666, segukawa.
B8 is a relatively young team, but their tournament activity is impressive. With such a high number of matches they are a reliable option for CS2 betting. In 2024 alone they played in as many as 50 tournaments.
B8 entered the 2025 season with new goals and motivation. They began with the BLAST Bounty Spring 2025: Closed Qualifier, finishing in the top 32 after losing to G2. Then they reached the top 8 at CCT Season 2 European Series #16, top 4 in Series #17, and claimed victory in Series #18 — one of their biggest achievements of the season.
Ahead of the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, B8 participated in several more events, including CCT Season 2 Global Finals, where they placed top 2, and top 3 at MESA Nomadic Masters Spring 2025, as well as winning ESL Challenger League Season 49: Europe. They qualified for the Major through the European qualifiers, finishing around 6th place.
B8 made a strong impression in the first stage of the BLAST.tv Austin Major, finishing 3-0 and proving that they are competitive and capable. However, in the second stage of the tournament the team performed worse, being eliminated with a 2-3 result and finishing 17th–19th.
B8 performed well at StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025. Although the team started with a loss and fell into the lower bracket, they did well there. In the first match they beat OG 2-1, in the lower bracket quarterfinals defeated Passion UA 2-0, and in the lower bracket semifinals overcame M8 2-1. In the lower bracket final they faced a stronger opponent — Ninjas in Pyjamas — and although they played decently, they lost 0-2, finishing 3rd at the tournament.
B8 also competed at ESL Pro League Season 22 and CS Asia Championships 2025, but unsuccessfully, taking top 19 and top 16 respectively.
At PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 the team performed somewhat better. In the Group Stage B8 finished with a 3-1 record, claiming victories over Astralis, 3DMAX and Legacy. However, in the playoffs the team performed at a lower level, losing the first match and exiting the tournament in 5th–8th place.
B8 can be considered a dark horse at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. The team began their run in Stage 1 and managed to qualify all the way to Stage 3. In Stage 3, the team also performed quite well, finishing with a 2–3 record and being eliminated from the tournament in the top 11.
Recent head to head
paiN Gaming and B8 have played against each other three times: the former won once, while the latter won twice. The match at IEM Krakow 2026 is important, as the losing team will be eliminated from the tournament.
Players to watch: biguzera and npl
Among the players on both teams, we highlight biguzera (paiN Gaming) and npl (B8). Both players demonstrate a high level of gameplay and strong statistics, making a significant contribution to their teams victories.
Which maps does paiN Gaming pick and ban most often?
Strong maps
- Nuke: high win percentage (63.6%) with 11 matches played.
Average results
- Mirage: average winning percentage (50.0%) with 4 matches played.
- Inferno: average winning percentage (50.0%) with 4 matches played.
Weak maps
- Dust2: low win percentage (33.3%) with 6 matches played.
- Ancient: low win percentage (00.0%) with 4 matches played.
Which maps does B8 pick and ban most often?
Strong maps
- Ancient: high win percentage (85.7%) with 7 matches played.
- Dust2: high win percentage (57.1%) with 7 matches played.
Average results
- Mirage: average winning percentage (42.9%) with 7 matches played.
Weak maps
- Inferno: low win percentage (33.3%) with 3 matches played.
- Train: low win percentage (25.0%) with 4 matches played.
Predicted result of the match between paiN Gaming and B8 at IEM Krakow 2026
Most analysts consider paiN Gaming the favorites in the match against B8 at IEM Krakow 2026. However, looking at the teams’ results in their first matches at the tournament, B8 looked slightly better. paiN Gaming lost to Astralis 0–2, while B8 lost to NRG 1–2. In our opinion, based on the previous results and the teams’ current form, B8 will win this match. Which team are you cheering for?
Betting prediction: B8 wins.
