A number of groups decide out of IEM Atlanta 2026

Esports event organiser ESL has unveiled the Counter-Strike 2 groups invited to compete in the primary occasion and closed qualifiers of IEM Atlanta 2026.

Among the many notable names are Staff Vitality, FaZe Clan, and Staff Liquid for the primary occasion. In the meantime, Fnatic and Ardour UA have accepted invitations for the World and Americas closed qualifiers.

Whereas the likes of the IEM Krakow winner and the Budapest Main runner-up have accepted invitations, IEM Atlanta received’t function a number of of the highest groups from February’s Valve Regional Standings (VRS), which determined the invite record.

Because of this, the primary occasion of the Tier 1 event consists of quite a lot of rosters trying to earn beneficial factors earlier than the IEM Cologne Main in June.

Particularly, FURIA, Parivision, G2 Esports, Staff Falcons, Staff Spirit, MOUZ, and The MongolZ declined invites to compete on the occasion, which is going down as a part of DreamHack Atlanta from Might seventeenth to seventeenth.

BC.Sport, which positioned twenty second in February’s VRS replace, is the lowest-ranked international crew heading straight to IEM Atlanta’s primary occasion stage.

Beneath is an inventory of the groups competing in the primary occasion:

With the elevated significance of the VRS, incomes a spot on the primary occasion by means of the closed qualifiers could possibly be the distinction between groups qualifying or lacking out on the Main or different necessary tier 1 occasions.

Happening from February tenth to twelfth, the Closed Qualifiers sees 16 groups face off in a double-elimination bracket to earn two locations accessible in the primary occasion.

For the eight-team Americas Closed Qualifier, Ardour UA headlines the invited crew record alongside BOSS, Wildcard, and Fisher Faculty, which earned its place by means of the Open Qualifier.

The 16 groups in the primary occasion are break up into two teams of eight, with a best-of-three GSL format figuring out the highest six groups that advance to the playoffs.

Quarter-final and semi-final matches proceed utilizing a best-of-three format till the best-of-five Grand Remaining determines the occasion’s winner.

With a number of notable names not attending IEM Atlanta 2026, the occasion has the potential to spring shock outcomes from groups that not often seem on the massive stage. Furthermore, the competitors can also be beneficial to Staff Vitality because it continues its journey to securing yet one more ESL Grand Slam.