B8 and Eternal Fire reach IEM Beijing 2026 Closed Qualifier semifinals

The upper-bracket semifinals will see Eternal Fire face Nuclear TigeRES, while B8 will take on HOTU. The winners will advance to the upper-bracket final and move one step closer to securing one of the two available spots at IEM Beijing 2026.

Eternal Fire began their campaign with a 2-1 victory over MIBR before meeting HEROIC in the upper-bracket quarterfinals. The Turkish side dropped one map but managed to close out the series 2-1 and remain undefeated in the upper bracket. Their next opponent will be Nuclear TigeRES, who booked their place in the semifinals with a 2-0 victory over magic.

B8 also needed two victories to reach the upper-bracket semifinals. The Ukrainian side opened the tournament with a 2-1 win over Color before defeating EYEBALLERS 2-0 in the quarterfinals. B8 will now face HOTU, who reached the same stage after beating paiN 2-0 in the opening round and Nemiga 2-0 in the quarterfinals.

The teams that suffered defeats in the upper bracket have moved into the lower bracket, where they will have to win their remaining matches to stay alive in the qualification race. MIBR eliminated 3DMAX with a 2-0 victory, while K27 defeated GamerLegion 2-1. BIG also advanced after beating paiN 2-0, while Color defeated DENDELE 2-1.

The next lower-bracket matches are scheduled as follows: EYEBALLERS vs MIBR, Nemiga vs K27, magic vs BIG, and HEROIC vs Color. The losing teams will be eliminated from the tournament.

The IEM Beijing 2026 Closed Qualifier will ultimately award two spots at the IEM Beijing 2026 main event. The upper-bracket teams have an additional safety net, while the teams in the lower bracket can no longer afford another defeat. Eternal Fire, Nuclear TigeRES, HOTU and B8 remain in the upper bracket and are now just one series away from reaching the upper-bracket final.