ESL reveals qualifiers for 2026 tournaments

Tournament operator ESL has revealed new details about three ESL Pro Tour tournaments scheduled for 2026 – IEM Brazil, IEM Atlanta, and IEM China. All three events will feature two types of qualifiers: one regional and one global, with both stages beginning with open qualifiers.

The global qualifiers will be held on European servers but will be open to teams from any region. ESL stated that this is intended to "reduce the travel fatigue some teams experience when competing in regional qualifiers".

The full qualifier schedule looks as follows:

IEM Brazil 2026

Global Qualifier
Open Qualifier - January 16-17
Closed Qualifier - January 21-23

Americas Qualifier
Open Qualifier - January 16-17
Closed Qualifier - January 21-23

IEM Atlanta 2026

Global Qualifier
Open Qualifier - February 7-8
Closed Qualifier - February 10-12

Americas Qualifier
Open Qualifier - February 7-8
Closed Qualifier - February 10-12

IEM China 2026

Global Qualifier
Open Qualifier - August 24-25
Closed Qualifier - September 2-4

Asia Qualifier
Open Qualifier - August 24-25
Closed Qualifier - September 2-4

The organizers also introduced new restrictions aimed at improving competitive integrity, particularly in open qualifiers. Two cameras per player and FACEIT verification are now mandatory for ESL online competitions. According to ESL, the installation of two cameras will ensure visibility of both the game screen and the entire play area, while FACEIT verification will be required for all players before a team can register for the competition.

Origin: x.com