IEM Atlanta 2026 Day 1: paiN Shock FaZe as NA Teams Fall Early

IEM Atlanta 2026 started with a bang. paiN stunned FaZe with a clean 2-0, while all teams linked to North America dropped into the lower bracket early. Day 1 already brought upsets, pressure, and plenty of CS2 chaos. Read on for the full breakdown.

Day 1 Opens With Upsets and Lower-Bracket Pressure

Day 1 quickly split the field in two: eight teams moved into the upper-bracket semifinals, while eight others were pushed one loss away from real danger. The roughest hit came for the NA side of the event.

paiN’s sweep of FaZe was the loudest result, but the pattern was clear across the bracket: FaZe, Liquid, NRG, M80, and Passion UA all dropped into elimination matches.

paiN Sweep FaZe Despite Four Lost Pistol Rounds

paiN swept FaZe 2-0 in Group A, winning both maps before FaZe could reach double digits. The strangest part: FaZe took all four pistol rounds but still could not turn them into control.

FaZe had no real standout. Jakub “jcobbb” Pietruszewski was their highest-rated player with 24-28 K/D and a 0.88 rating, while Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken finished 23-30 with a 0.86 rating, while Helvijs “broky” Saukants went 25-27 with a 0.83 rating.

snow and piriajr Lead the Brazilian Side

João “snow” Vinicius was the best player of the series with a 36-21 K/D, 80.2 ADR, 82.5% KAST and a 1.47 rating. He was especially sharp on Dust2, where he posted 21-10 and a 1.71 rating. Guilherme “piriajr” Barbosa was close behind overall at 33-21, 84.7 ADR and a 1.40 rating, then exploded on Anubis with 22-13, 118.1 ADR and a 1.88 rating.

saffee’s Return Gives paiN a Boost Before the Major

Rafael “saffee” Costa returned to paiN after Lucas “nqz” Soares stepped aside for personal reasons, and this was his first official match since August 2025. He did not need to hard-carry, but his 21-23 K/D, 69.9 ADR and 1.02 rating gave paiN enough stability behind the snow and piriajr show.

After the match, saffee said paiN had only practiced for two weeks with him and described the result as proof that the group is moving in the right direction. He also said the team planned to bootcamp in Belgrade after CAC as preparation continues for the IEM Cologne Major.

FUT Beat NRG After Ancient Comeback

NRG looked ready to give the home crowd a win, but FUT stole the momentum on Ancient after being down 3-10. They dragged it to overtime, won 16-13, then closed the series on Overpass with a strong T side.

Džiugas “dziugss” Steponavičius led FUT with a 49-27 K/D, 104.7 ADR, and 1.58 rating. For NRG, Michael “Grim” Wince had the best numbers for his team, finishing 40-40 with 80.3 ADR and a 1.03 rating. Nick “nitr0” Cannella had a strong Overpass at 21-16 and a 1.61 rating, but his difficult 6-23 showing on Ancient left NRG chasing the series.

Krabeni’s Team Regains Momentum With lauNX Back

FUT’s win looked even better considering the team had Laurențiu “lauNX” Țârlea back after his health break. He was not the star of the series, finishing 22-34 with a 0.82 rating, but his return helped FUT play with its full roster again.

The key points from the NRG win were clear:

• Aulon “Krabeni” Fazlija finished 45-37 with 100.0 ADR and a 1.25 rating
• He closed Overpass in style with an ace
• FUT had only two practice games with lauNX before the match
• The team looked much sharper than it did at Rivals with a stand-in

For a roster still getting its rhythm back, this was a strong reset.

North American Teams Drop Into Elimination Matches

The North American picture turned ugly by the end of the night. FaZe lost to paiN, NRG fell to FUT, Passion UA lost 16-13 and 13-4 to NAVI, Liquid were beaten by Astralis, and M80 were swept by Legacy.

Liquid’s defeat was especially harsh on Dust2, where Astralis won 13-4 before taking Ancient 13-11. Jakob “jabbi” Nygaard was the standout with a 41-22 K/D, 94.1 ADR and a 1.68 rating. For Liquid, Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa led the server on his side at 33-32, 89.9 ADR and a 1.11 rating.

GamerLegion, Astralis and Legacy Add to the Day 1 Damage

GamerLegion had to work harder than Legacy, but both teams added more pressure to the lower bracket. GamerLegion went the distance against SINNERS, while Legacy made quick work of M80 in a clean 2-0.

• GamerLegion beat SINNERS 13-10 on Mirage, lost Inferno 9-13, then closed Nuke 13-8
• Fredrik “REZ” Sterner started hot, posting a 1.62 rating on Mirage and 1.57 on Inferno
• Legacy crushed M80 13-5 on Inferno and 13-7 on Mirage
• Guilherme “saadzin” Pacheco led Legacy with 36-14 K/D, 102.5 ADR, and a 1.68 rating
• Josh “JBa” Barutt had M80’s best rating at 1.00, finishing 19-25

Legacy looked cleaner, but GamerLegion showed they could grind out a messy series.

Day 2 Sets Up Survival Matches for FaZe, Liquid, NRG, M80 and Passion UA

Day 2 brings pressure right away, especially in the lower bracket. FaZe, Liquid, NRG, M80, and Passion UA already need a clean response after shaky openers.

The lower-bracket games carry the bigger danger, since one poor veto or slow start could end a team’s Atlanta run early. On the upper side, paiN vs FUT looks especially spicy after both teams opened with strong 2-0 wins.