K23 and Movistar Riders advance to the closed qualifier

The first IEM Summer open qualifier has come to a conclusion. It sees K23, another CIS team that has proven its capabilities, as well as the European roster of Movistar Riders, go through to the next qualifying stage. The main event of IEM Summer 2021 will span from Jun 3rd - Jun 13th, 2021, and features 16 teams battling for a prize pool of $250.000. There are three qualifying spots that can be earned for the main event. K23 and Movistar Riders are one step closer to earning themselves a place at the big summer event.

The CIS roster of K23, centered around the experienced Dauren "AdreN" Kystaubayev, made sure that they would advance further by defeating MASONIC, the tournament's biggest surprise, in their final challenge. After two close maps against Nordavind, Movistar Riders managed to secure the second qualifying spot with the help of Owen "smooya" Butterfield.

The closed qualifier is set to take place on April 26-28 and will feature ten teams, in addition to K23 and Movistar Riders. Two out of the other ten teams are going to be found in another open qualifier, whereas the remaining eight teams will be invited by the tournament organizers.