IEM Atlanta 2026 team list finalized, but there’s one major elephant in the room

Following the conclusion of the Closed Qualifiers, the IEM Atlanta 2026 team list has been finalized. Both BetBoom and BET-M secured their places via the Global Qualifier, with Passion UA locking in a spot via the Americas Qualifier.

IEM Atlanta 2026 teams confirmed, but will BET-M be able to attend?

Earlier this week, ESL announced the full list of teams that have accepted their VRS invites for IEM Atlanta 2026. Although Vitality will still be in attendance, it was shocking to see the likes of Falcons, Spirit, MOUZ, and FURIA all skip the event. This means it will be a relatively weak field as Vitality hunts for the ESL Grand Slam title, which it could secure earlier at IEM Rio 2026 as well.

The full IEM Atlanta 2026 team list is as follows:

IEM Atlanta 2026 Teams

• NRG (North America VRS)
• Legacy (South America VRS)
• Vitality (Global VRS)
• NAVI (Global VRS)
• FaZe Clan (Global VRS)
• Team Liquid (Global VRS)
• B8 (Global VRS)
• Astralis (Global VRS)
• GamerLegion (Global VRS)
• FUT (Global VRS)
• paiN Gaming (Global VRS)
• M80 (Global VRS)
• BC.Game Esports (Global VRS)
• BetBoom Team (Global Qualifier)
• BET-M (Global Qualifier)
• Passion UA (Americas Qualifier)

There is still one major concern here, though. BET-M. You’d be forgiven if you haven’t heard of them. They’re a Russian team that have battled their way up through the VRS, and conquered the Global Qualifier after defeating SINNERS. They have done very well to get to IEM Atlanta 2026.

The issue now is visas. Russian players have notoriously difficult times getting visas; recently, we saw kyousuke miss Falcons’ run through the BLAST Bounty Playoffs in Malta due to visa issues. Even the big names are not exempt from these problems, leaving the relatively unknown BET-M players in a tough spot, especially given that the event will be hosted in the United States.

BetBoom are the other Global Qualifier team, and they are a five-man Russian lineup, too. They could also face visa issues, although they at least have a history of playing at international LANs.

Regardless, this is the elephant in the room for the IEM Atlanta 2026 team list right now. The Global Qualifier teams are not necessarily guaranteed to be in attendance. It would be a huge shame, given that they earned their spot fairly; let’s hope these issues do not come to fruition.