ESL has announced the direct invites for the IEM Beijing 2026 closed qualifiers. The Global Closed Qualifier and Asia Closed Qualifier still have four open-qualifier places each.
The announcement also completes the current picture of the IEM Beijing main event. Sixteen teams will compete in Beijing, including 13 direct VRS invites and three teams that will qualify through the closed qualifiers.
Global and Asia qualifier teams
The Global Closed Qualifier will feature:
- MIBR
- B8
- BIG
- GamerLegion
- magic
- paiN Gaming
- DENDELE
- HEROIC
- 3DMAX
- EYEBALLERS
- HOTU
- K27
Four additional teams will reach the 16-team bracket through open qualifiers.
Meanwhile, TYLOO, Lynn Vision Gaming, FlyQuest and DEPO have received direct invitations to the eight-team Asia Closed Qualifier. The remaining four Asian teams will also come from open qualifiers.
Both closed qualifiers will use double-elimination brackets. The Global qualifier winner and runner-up will advance to the IEM Beijing main event. In addition, the Asia qualifier winner will secure the final main-event place.
Full IEM Beijing participant list
Team Liquid received the North America VRS invitation, while 9z Globant secured the South America VRS invitation. The MongolZ will represent the Asia VRS invite.
The Global VRS invites went to Team Falcons, MOUZ, Natus Vincere, Legacy, FURIA, BetBoom Team, G2 Esports, Aurora Gaming, PARIVISION and FaZe Clan.
Therefore, the final three IEM Beijing 2026 main-event places remain open. They will go to the Global Closed Qualifier winner, the Global Closed Qualifier runner-up and the Asia Closed Qualifier winner. The tournament will feature two double-elimination groups of eight teams, with the top three teams from every group progressing to the playoffs.
Declined invitations change the field
Team Vitality declined its main-event invitation because two players will take paternity leave during the event period. PARIVISION, ranked 12th in the Valve Regional Standings, replaced the team.
Team Spirit also declined its invitation due to a busy calendar. As a result, FaZe Clan received the place as the next eligible team.
In the Asia Closed Qualifier, THUNDERDOWNUNDER declined because of unsuitable server selection. DEPO replaced the team.
Several teams declined Global Closed Qualifier invitations, including FUT, Alliance, Astralis, Luminosity Gaming, Inner Circle, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team Namesis, M80, Virtus.pro and Wildcard. ESL subsequently invited DENDELE, HEROIC, 3DMAX, EYEBALLERS, Nemesis, HOTU and K27 based on the VRS order.
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IEM Beijing 2026 schedule details
The IEM Beijing 2026 main event will offer $1,250,000 in total winnings. It will also count toward the $1,000,000 ESL Grand Slam race.
All invitations were based on Valve Regional Standings data from August 3, 2026. Finally, teams must submit their rosters by October 19, 2026, and must retain a majority of the roster from the original VRS invitation date to compete in November.
