1WIN and knasigT Secure Spots in IEM Sydney Europe Closed Qualifier
The closed qualifiers, which determine two spots for IEM Sydney, are set to take place from August 23 to 25.
The team lineup for the IEM Sydney Europe closed qualifier has been finalized, with 1WIN and knasigT emerging victorious in the region's second open qualifier, securing the last two berths up for grabs.
1WIN, a team featuring former Young Ninjas rifler Oliver "debo" Hallel and Aleksandar "jayzaR" Zarkovic, along with Victor "virree" Bäckström from 9INE, secured their closed qualifier spot after receiving a Ro16 bye due to Eternal Fire forfeiting the match because of a scheduling conflict with the Thunderpick World Championship Europe Series 1. They subsequently defeated Anonymo and Zen in a swift two-map series, edging closer to their place at IEM Sydney.
knasigT, on the other hand, proved to be the underdog story of the event. After failing to progress past the Round of 256 in the first open qualifier, they demonstrated an impressive comeback, securing a spot in the second day of play, with their only significant challenge being an overtime win against FURIA. They managed to eliminate SHAPITO, the 00NATION lineup featuring Florian "syrsoN" Rische and Jon "JDC" de Castro playing under the QM tag, and ThunderFlash, securing their spot in the IEM Sydney closed qualifier.
However, some notable names faced disappointment in the open qualifiers and won't be competing in IEM Sydney. Zen made a notable run by eliminating Sprout and Movistar Riders from contention before falling short at the final stage. Virtus.pro, who recently claimed a $100,000 prize by winning the CCT Online Finals 2, faced a humbling defeat, exiting in the quarter-finals with a 12-16 loss to ThunderFlash.
Here's the complete team list for the IEM Sydney Europe closed qualifier:
- Apeks (Europe)
- 9INE (Poland)
- Victory Zigzag (Europe)
- knasigT (Sweden)
- Ninjas in Pyjamas (Sweden)
- OG (Europe)
- BetBoom (Russia)
- 1WIN (Russia)
Bogdan Lashchenko – content manager at EgamersWorld.Bogdan has been working at EGamersWorld since 2023. Joining the company, he began fillin the site with information, news and events.
39fauesde
Liquid defeat Gentle Mates and advance to the main stage of BLAST Bounty Winter 2026Liquid advance to the main stage of BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 after a 2–1 win over Gentle Mates, dominating Mirage and Nuke to qualify for the LAN event.59fauesdeHEROIC defeat paiN and become the first team to qualify for the BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 LANHEROIC outplayed paiN to become the first team qualified for the BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 LAN in Malta, with nilo earning MVP honors in the series.134fauesdeFURIA defeat 9INE and secure the final spot in the next stage of BLAST Bounty Winter 2026FURIA defeat 9INE on Anubis and Inferno to qualify for the next stage of BLAST Bounty Winter 2026. molodoy leads the way as 9INE exit the event.151fauesdeMatchups and Format for IEM Krakow 2026 RevealedFull breakdown of IEM Krakow 2026: opening matchups, tournament format, schedule, $1M prize pool, and ESL Grand Slam race details.126fauesdeSpirit defeat SINNERS at BLAST Bounty Winter 2026: Closed QualifierSpirit secure a clean sweep over SINNERS at BLAST Bounty Winter 2026: Closed Qualifier, showing dominance on Mirage and Nuke to move forward in the tournament.240fauesdeFalcons defeated ECSTATIC and advanced to the next round of BLAST Bounty Winter 2026: Closed QualifierFalcons advanced at BLAST Bounty Winter 2026: Closed Qualifier with a 2:0 win over ECSTATIC, as TeSeS starred and experience proved decisive on both maps.
