The IEM Atlanta European qualifiers have come to an end. Four teams featuring Ukrainian players took part: Inner Circle, BASEMENT BOYS, ENCE, and FNATIC. Unfortunately, all of them were knocked out of the tournament before even reaching the qualification matches. Today’s matches were the deciders.
First up was the clash between two Russian squads, BetBoom and BET-M, with a direct slot to the S-Tier IEM Atlanta on the line. BetBoom swept the series 2-0, dominanting on Ancient (13-6) before closing it out on Dust2 (13-11). With this win, BetBoom secured their spot, while BET-M dropped to the lower bracket for one last chance to qualify.
Simultaneously, the lower bracket saw FNATIC featuring the last remaining Ukrainians in the tournament face off against SINNERS. It was the first meeting between these two teams, and unfortunately for FNATIC, it was their last. They fell 0-2 after a hard-fought battle on Dust2 (10-13) followed by a near-stomp on the second map (3-13). SINNERS advanced to the final qualification match against BET-M.
The final showdown for the last available slot was BET-M vs. SINNERS. The match was neck-and-neck with no clear favorite. However, the Russian roster of BET-M managed to swing the momentum on the decider map, taking the series 2-1 and punching their ticket to IEM Atlanta 2026.
The biggest hurdle for the Russian squads remains the visa situation. Due to recurring issues with securing visas, especially for the US, there is a real chance these teams might not make it to Atlanta this year. If that happens, stand-ins or replacements could be called up, potentially giving Fnatic and SINNERS a backdoor entry into the tournament since they finished as the next-in-line.
As a side note, NAVI Learn Their Group for DreamLeague Season 28