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 features 24 teams competing for the championship title and a $1 million prize pool.
One of the most intriguing opening-day matchups is FUT Esports vs 3DMAX — a clash between two ambitious squads with contrasting playstyles, promising a tense and entertaining CS2 battle. As the teams prepare to face off, we’ll break down the matchup and share our CS2 analysis, betting tips, and key insights for this game.
How the bookies view it: FUT Esports favored
FUT Esports are slight favorites going into this match, with odds of 1.70. The bookmakers see them as the more reliable side, but not by a huge margin. 3DMAX, priced at 2.13, come in as underdogs, though the odds suggest they have a realistic chance to compete. Overall, this looks like a fairly even matchup where small details could decide the outcome.
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.
3DMAX form. What result can be expected from 3DMAX
The team returned to pro CS in 2023, participating in just three A-, B-, and C-tier tournaments that year. Their main achievement was winning the ESL Challenger League Season 46: Europe.
- 3DMAX roster: Lucky, bodyy, Ex3rcice, Maka, Graviti.
Before ESL Pro League Season 19, 3DMAX competed in the A1 Gaming League Season 8, where they took second place. At ESL Pro League Season 19, 3DMAX proved that they should not be considered a weak team. In their opening match, they defeated sAw, and in the following game against Fnatic, they caused a minor upset by confidently winning 2-0, giving up only 15 rounds across two maps. In the playoffs of ESL Pro League Season 19, they continued to perform solidly, losing only to Astralis and G2, and ultimately finishing in the top 12 out of 32 participating teams.
Throughout the season, 3DMAX also aimed to make their mark at top-tier events. For instance, at Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2024, they finished in the top 24 after a 1-2 loss to Heroic. Later, they attempted to compete at ESL Pro League Season 20 but delivered a weaker performance, ending in the top 20.
However, their results at lower-tier tournaments were much better. 3DMAX became the champions of YaLLa Compass Summer 2024 and secured top-three finishes at both the Thunderpick World Championship 2024 and ESL Challenger League Season 48: Europe.
At the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024: European RMR B, the team started with a win over TSM and then pulled off a surprise by defeating Eternal Fire 2-0 in the qualification match. They went on to beat G2 Esports and advanced to the Elimination Stage. There, they performed at their expected level, finishing with a 1-3 record and a top-13 placement overall.
In the 2025 season, 3DMAX participated in BLAST Bounty Season 1 but were eliminated early after a 1-2 loss to Heroic, finishing in the top 32. Their next event was IEM Katowice 2025, where they performed noticeably better. The team easily defeated both FlyQuest and MIBR with 2-0 scores. In the group stage, they lost to Vitality and dropped to the lower bracket. There, they managed to beat BIG, but their run was halted by Eternal Fire, leaving 3DMAX in the top 8 of the tournament.
At PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, the team started strong with a win over Virtus.pro, followed by a loss to MOUZ, and then a victory over MIBR. However, despite a 2-1 standing, they failed to reach the playoffs after back-to-back defeats to Eternal Fire and sAw, finishing in the top 9.
After that, 3DMAX continued to participate in multiple tournaments, consistently placing between 9th and 12th, which reaffirmed their status as a solid mid-tier team in professional Counter-Strike 2.
At IEM Cologne 2025, the 3DMAX team won their first match against MIBR with a score of 2:0. However, in the second round of the upper bracket, they lost to NiP with a score of 0:2, dropping to the lower bracket, where they defeated TYLOO 2-0 and advanced to the Group Stage.
In the Group Stage, 3DMAX lost 0-2 to The MongolZ, dropping to the lower bracket, where they defeated GamerLegion 2-1 and lost 0-2 to G2, finishing 9-12th in the tournament.
At the Esports World Cup 2025, 3DMAX won 2-1 against NAVI in the Round of 16, but then lost to The MongolZ, leaving the tournament in the top 8, which is considered a good result for them.
At ESL Pro League Season 22, 3DMAX passed Stage 1 with a 3-1 record and Stage 2 with a 3-2 record. In the playoffs, 3DMAX lost their first match to Team Falcons and were eliminated from the tournament, finishing 5th–8th.
3DMAX also participated in the CS Asia Championships 2025 and took 2nd place.
At PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, 3DMAX had a poor performance. The team finished with a 1-3 record and was eliminated from the tournament, placing 12th–14th.
3DMAX Map Pool
Over the past three months, 3DMAX has shown strong performances on certain maps while struggling on others. Their best results come on Nuke, with a 73.3% win rate, followed by Inferno at 69.6% when picked first. On Dust2 and Overpass, the team has been less consistent, winning 43.8% and 40% of their matches, respectively. Ancient and Train remain their weakest maps, with only 33.3% and 27.3% wins.
Recent head to head
There is no previous match history between FUT Esports and 3DMAX, as the teams have not faced each other before.
Match Prediction: FUT Esports vs 3DMAX — IEM Krakow 2026 Stage 1
Looking at this matchup in a broader context, FUT Esports appear to be the more reliable and structured team coming into this series. While 3DMAX have proven multiple times that they can compete with top-tier opposition and occasionally produce strong tournament runs, their results over the last year have been uneven, often fluctuating between solid playoff finishes and early exits. In contrast, FUT Esports have shown a much steadier upward trajectory in recent months, especially at the Tier-2 level, where consistency and teamwork often make the decisive difference.
FUT’s recent form stands out when compared directly to 3DMAX. They have been regularly reaching the later stages of tournaments, securing wins in finals, and maintaining a clear identity in their playstyle. Their victories at events like Galaxy Battle 2025 Phase 5 and DraculaN Season 3 highlight not only individual skill but also strong coordination, disciplined mid-round decision-making, and good preparation. This structured, team-oriented CS has become a key strength for FUT, whereas 3DMAX tend to rely more on momentum and individual performances, which can be less reliable in a best-of series.
From a map pool perspective, FUT Esports also seem better positioned. They are comfortable on several strong maps such as Nuke, Mirage, and Overpass, and their overall win rates suggest they can adapt well during the veto process. 3DMAX, while dangerous on Nuke and Inferno, have clear weaknesses on maps like Ancient and Train, which could be exploited if FUT manage the veto correctly. This gives FUT more flexibility and reduces the risk of being forced into unfavorable conditions.
Prediction: FUT Esports wins.
