ESL Announces Invited Teams for IEM Atlanta 2026

The list of participants for IEM Atlanta 2026 has been revealed. The tournament will bring together top teams from different regions and will be one of the key events of the season, where squads will compete for the trophy and valuable ranking points.

The tournament will begin with a group stage, where 16 teams will be divided into two groups of eight. Each group will follow a double-elimination (GSL) format, with all matches played as best-of-three (Bo3). The top three teams from each group will advance to the playoffs: group winners will move directly to the semifinals, second-place teams will start the quarterfinals as high seeds, while third-place teams will enter the quarterfinals as low seeds. The playoffs will be played in a single-elimination format, with all matches except the Grand Final played as Bo3, while the Grand Final itself will be a best-of-five (Bo5).

Teams that accepted invitations to IEM Atlanta 2026:

• NRG
• Legacy
• Team Vitality
• Natus Vincere
• FaZe Clan
• Team Liquid
• B8
• Astralis
• GamerLegion
• FUT Esports
• paiN Gaming
• M80
• BC.Game Esports

FURIA (VRS SA 1) declined the South American invitation, after which Legacy (VRS SA 2) were invited and accepted. PARIVISION (VRS 3) declined the global invitation, as did G2 Esports (VRS 13), followed by 3DMAX (VRS 14), which allowed Astralis (VRS 15) to receive an invitation and confirm their participation. Team Falcons (VRS 4) also declined, and their spot was taken by GamerLegion (VRS 18). After Team Spirit (VRS 6) turned down their invitation, FUT Esports (VRS 19) were invited and accepted. MOUZ (VRS 7) declined their invite, with paiN Gaming (VRS 20) stepping in as a replacement. A similar situation occurred after Aurora Gaming (VRS 9) declined, leading to M80 (VRS 21) being invited and accepting. Finally, The MongolZ (VRS 10) declined participation, and they were replaced by BC.Game Esports (VRS 22), who confirmed their attendance.

Global and Americas closed qualifiers will also be held, with the final tournament participants to be determined through these events. Intel Extreme Masters Atlanta 2026 will take place from May 11 to May 17, with a total prize pool of $1 million: $300,000 will be distributed among the teams, while an additional $700,000 will be allocated as club support.