Team Spirit to not receive over $400,000 from ESL after declining invite to IEM Atlanta 2026

Team Spirit has forfeited its share of the 2026 Annual Club Incentive (ACI) program after exceeding the allowed number of tournament withdrawals between 2025 and 2026.

After IEM Rio 2026, the team tied for first place with FURIA and was eligible for a payout of $420,550. Instead of attending Atlanta, Team Spirit chose to participate in PGL Astana 2026, where they ultimately finished first. This withdrawal from IEM Atlanta 2026 marks the third time Team Spirit has declined an invite to an ESL tournament in the 2025-2026 cycle. The team also previously missed IEM Melbourne and IEM Dallas in 2025.

Under normal circumstances, squads are allowed to decline a maximum of three invites over a two-year period, and cannot miss over two tournaments in a single calendar year. However, if an ESL tournament is promoted to a Major – as happened with IEM Cologne 2026 – the maximum number of declines during this period is reduced to two. As a result, Team Spirit will not be able to participate in the ACI program again until 2027. However, all declines made this year will still count toward the 2027 ACI.

Notably, the Annual Club Incentive program is designed to reward teams for their contributions to the ESL Pro Tour "through tournament participation, viewership, and promotional and media activities related to ESL events". As in 2025, the top 16 teams in the ranking will receive payments this season. Below are the top 10 teams in the 2026 ACI program and their projected payouts after IEM Atlanta 2026.

Origin: pro.eslgaming.com