B8 and HEROIC secured the final two European spots at IEM Beijing 2026 after completing the closed qualifier on September 4. B8 qualified through the upper bracket with a 2:0 victory over Nuclear TigeRES, while HEROIC later defeated the same opponent 2:0 in the consolidation final. Their results completed the 16-team lineup for the $1.25 million event.
TYLOO had already secured the third qualifier spot through the Asian closed qualifier after FlyQuest were forced to forfeit the Grand Final because of connectivity problems between Australia and Singapore.
B8 completed the qualifier without losing a series
B8 reached IEM Beijing through the upper bracket. After opening the closed qualifier with a 2:1 victory over Color, they continued their run and eventually faced Nuclear TigeRES in the upper-bracket final with a direct place at the main event on the line.
The first map, Inferno, was close. Nuclear TigeRES entered halftime ahead 8:4, but B8 produced a 9:3 second half to steal the opposing map pick 13:11. Mirage was much more comfortable, with B8 building a 10:2 lead before closing the map 13:4.
Artem “kensizor” Kapran led B8 in the deciding series with 38 kills and a 1.67 Rating 3.0. He was followed by Andrii “npl” Kukharskyi at 1.39, while B8 finished the match with a 1.30 team rating.
HEROIC survived the lower bracket
The route of HEROIC was less straightforward. They lost 1:2 to Eternal Fire earlier in the qualifier and were forced into the lower bracket, where they worked their way back into contention. HEROIC then won the rematch against Eternal Fire 2:1 to earn a place in the consolidation final.
Nuclear TigeRES were again the final obstacle. HEROIC won Ancient 13:6 before needing overtime to close Dust2 19:17, securing the second European ticket with a 2:0 series victory.
Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin was the highest-rated player of the series with a 1.38 Rating 3.0. He also led the server with 49 kills and 14 opening kills.
IEM Beijing 2026 team list is now complete
The qualification of B8, HEROIC and TYLOO finalized all 16 participants:
- Falcons
- FURIA
- MOUZ
- Legacy
- Natus Vincere
- G2
- Aurora
- 9z
- FaZe
- The MongolZ
- BETBOOM
- PARIVISION
- Liquid
- B8
- HEROIC
- TYLOO
IEM Beijing 2026 will take place from November 2–8 in Beijing, China. The tournament will feature a $1.25 million prize pool, with the 16 participants starting in a double-elimination group stage before the top six advance to the playoffs.
