Inner Circle bows out as ESL names IEM Beijing closed-qualifier invitees

Inner Circle bows out as ESL names IEM Beijing closed-qualifier invitees AI

ESL published the teams invited to the closed qualifiers for IEM Beijing on 21 August 2026. Ukrainian side Inner Circle declined its direct invite because its BLAST Open Porto playoff schedule overlaps, while fellow Ukrainian team B8 confirmed participation. Four additional spots per qualifier will be filled via open qualifiers. Kyiv esports fans: B8 will be the confirmed Ukrainian entrant after Inner Circle withdrew; watch open qualifiers for more Ukrainian teams to qualify.

ESL has released the list of teams receiving direct invitations to the closed qualifiers for IEM Beijing. The organiser split invites by region; among the named global invitees are MIBR, B8, BIG, GamerLegion, M80, paiN, DENDELE, HEROIC, 3DMAX, EYEBALLERS, HOTU and K27. Asia-region invites include TYLOO, Lynn Vision and FlyQuest.

Sport.ua reports that Ukraine’s Inner Circle declined its invitation because its BLAST Open Porto playoff schedule clashes with the IEM Beijing qualifier dates. B8 confirmed it will take part in the closed qualifier. ESL will also award four additional spots in each closed qualifier via open-qualifier events.

Organisers have not published full match dates or brackets in this report; follow ESL’s official channels for the complete schedule and ticket/broadcast information.

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