Welcome to all esports and Counter-Strike 2 fans! From January 28 to February 8, 2026, one of the biggest tournaments of the winter season, IEM Krakow 2026, will take place. The event will feature 24 teams competing for the championship title and a $1,000,000 prize pool. One of the most exciting matchups of the Lower Bracket Round 1 will be Legacy vs FUT Esports. In this preview, we’ll analyze both teams, try to predict the winner, and share CS2 betting tips.
How the bookies view it: FUT Esports favored
According to the bookmakers, FUT Esports enter this matchup as the favorites. A win for FUT Esports is priced at 1.67, reflecting the market’s confidence in their current form and overall stability. Meanwhile, Legacy are seen as the underdogs, with odds of 2.17, suggesting that while an upset is possible, it would require a strong performance to overcome FUT’s advantage.
Legacy form. What result can be expected from Legacy
Legacy is a Brazilian Counter-Strike 2 esports team that has steadily built its reputation on the international stage following a roster rebuild in 2024–2025. After several changes, the organization formed a balanced lineup led by experienced in-game leadership and reliable riflers, allowing the team to transition from a regional contender into a consistent participant at global events. Legacy regularly competes in S-, A- and B-tier tournaments, including Majors, ESL Pro League stages, and PGL events, showing that they can hold their own against teams from Europe, North America, and Asia.
- Legacy roster: lux, n1ssim, latto, dumau, saadzin.
Throughout 2025, Legacy delivered a series of solid and confidence-building results that highlighted their upward trajectory. The team reached the grand final of PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, finishing second after a close 2:3 loss and earning $93,750, which marked their strongest international showing of the year. Shortly after, Legacy claimed first place at CS Asia Championships 2025, winning the final 3:2 and securing a $150,000 prize — their most notable title to date. At the top-tier level, results were more mixed: the team placed 17th–19th at ESL Pro League Season 22 and 25th–27th at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, showing that consistency against elite opposition remains a challenge. However, Legacy continued to qualify for major events and closed the year with regular appearances in BLAST and Thunderpick competitions, maintaining a win rate around the 50–60% mark. Overall, Legacy enters most matchups as a competitive mid-tier team: capable of punishing mistakes, taking maps off stronger opponents, and pushing series deep, but still working toward becoming a stable playoff contender at Tier-1 tournaments.
Legacy Map Pool
Legacy’s map pool over the past three months looks fairly limited and clearly defined. Inferno is their strongest and most reliable map, often taken as a first pick and backed by a solid 75% win rate, showing confidence in structured, round-by-round play. Nuke serves as a secondary comfort map with a respectable 57.1% win rate, while Dust2 sits in the middle at 50%, usually played as a neutral option rather than a strength. Overpass is typically their first ban despite average results, suggesting low trust in the map overall. The remaining maps — Train (33.3%), Mirage (25%), and Ancient (25%) — represent clear weak points and are rarely successful for the team. Overall, Legacy rely heavily on Inferno and, to a lesser extent, Nuke, and can struggle in best-of-three series if opponents effectively target those maps.
FUT Esports form. What result can be expected from FUT Esports
FUT Esports is a European Counter‑Strike 2 esports team that has quickly made a name for itself since entering the CS2 scene in 2025, building a competitive roster of experienced players. The organization expanded into CS2 after success in other esports titles and has been working to solidify its presence in international competitions. Since joining, FUT Esports has already claimed a tournament victory — notably winning Exort The Proving Grounds Season 4, where they took home first place and a significant prize, showcasing their potential against strong opponents. The team combines veteran leadership with emerging talent and continues to compete regularly in European and global events, earning respectable placements and building momentum as they aim to climb higher in the CS2 ranks.
- FUT Esports roster: lauNX, dem0n, Krabeni, cmtry, and dziugss.
During the second half of 2025, FUT Esports demonstrated strong and consistent performances, establishing themselves as one of the rising European teams. Their season began with a standout victory at Exort The Proving Grounds Season 4 on September 24, where they convincingly won the final 2:0 and earned $41,320.85, showcasing their potential against strong opponents. The team followed up with a 3rd–4th place finish at CCT Season 3 European Series #5, while struggling in some tournaments such as Birch Cup 2025, where they finished 13th–16th, highlighting occasional inconsistencies. In October, FUT Esports reached 5th–6th at the CS Asia Championships 2025, taking home $20,000, and 5th–8th at the Chennai Esports Global Championship 2025: European Open Qualifier. November proved to be a strong month: the team won DraculaN Season 3 with a 2:0 final victory, finished second at DreamHack Knockout Stockholm 2025 after a tight 1:2 loss, and secured 3rd–4th place at CCT Season 3 European Series #9. FUT Esports capped off the year with a dominant performance at Galaxy Battle 2025 Phase 5 on December 9, winning the event 3:0 and taking home $25,000, cementing their status as one of the most competitive rising teams in CS2. Combining veteran leadership with emerging talent, FUT Esports continues to compete regularly in European and global events, earning respectable placements and building momentum as they aim to climb higher in the CS2 ranks.
FUT Esports played their most recent match on December 9, 2025, facing ECSTATIC in the final of Galaxy Battle 2025 Phase 5, where they secured a 2:1 victory. Throughout the tournament, FUT displayed strong performances, showcasing their skill and coordination among Tier-2 teams and solidifying their status as one of the top contenders in the CS2 scene.
FUT Esports Map Pool
Over the past three months, FUT Esports has demonstrated strong performances across most CS2 maps, highlighting both their strategic depth and map versatility. The team has been perfect on Nuke, winning 100% of their matches, while Train has proven highly favorable as well, with an 83.3% win rate when used as their first ban. Mirage, often their first pick, has also been a reliable map with a 77.8% win rate. Other maps like Overpass, Ancient, and Dust2 have shown solid results, with win rates of 66.7%, 61.5%, and 54.5% respectively. The only notable weakness has been Inferno, where FUT Esports has yet to secure a win, indicating an area for strategic improvement. Overall, these statistics reflect a team that is well-rounded, able to capitalize on preferred maps, and continuously working to expand their competitive edge.
Head-to-Head
Legacy and FUT Esports have faced each other only once in official play, with their meeting taking place at the CS Asia Championships 2025. The series went the full distance and turned out to be highly competitive. Legacy secured wins on Dust2 (13–8) and Inferno (19–16), while FUT Esports answered back with a victory on Mirage (13–8). Overall, Legacy lead the head-to-head 2–1, including one map that required overtime, highlighting how close and contested this matchup has been in the past.
Predicted result of the match between Legacy and FUT Esports at IEM Krakow 2026
FUT Esports look like the more favorable side in this matchup due to their stronger consistency toward the end of 2025 and a noticeably deeper and more flexible map pool. The European team is comfortable on most maps and is able to adapt to different playstyles, which is especially important in elimination matches. If FUT can avoid Inferno or limit Legacy’s impact on that map, their chances of overall success will be high.
At the same time, Legacy remain a dangerous opponent. The Brazilian squad has already shown that it can challenge FUT and, with a favorable veto, is capable of taking a map or pushing the series deep. For that reason, despite FUT Esports holding the edge, the exact scoreline is difficult to predict — the match could end in two maps or go the full distance. Still, overall, a FUT Esports victory appears to be the more likely outcome.
Prediction: FUT Esports wins.
