Astralis, Cloud9 secure final European IEM Dallas 2023 spots

The IEM Dallas 2023 Europe Closed Qualifier took place over the weekend, with Astralis and Cloud9 securing passage to the main event with their respective victories in the upper-bracket final and consolidation final.

After failing to qualify for S-Tier CS:GO events in the previous six months, Astralis were forced to compete in the Europe Open Qualifier and then the Closed Qualifier to secure their spot at IEM Dallas 2023.

During their qualification run, the Danes went undefeated, winning six straight series over the likes of HEET, Team Spirit, GODSENT, and Cloud9, establishing the former world no.1 and four-time Major champions as genuine contenders for the main event.

Thanks to Nicolai “device” Reedtz and Benjamin “blameF” Bremer, who have begun to work out their roles within the team and perform at their best throughout the IEM Dallas qualification stages, the Danes are currently 14th in the ESL world rankings.

Cloud9 – who, surprisingly, did not receive a direct invite to defend their IEM Dallas title – earned a spot at the $250,000 event in Texas by defeating OG 2-0 in the consolidation final.

To say the world no.5 had been in great form recently would be an understatement, as C9 have yet to finish outside the top two in their last five events, including ESL Pro League Season 17 (2nd), RES Eastern European Masters Spring 2023 (1st), and BLAST Premier Spring Showdown Europe (1st).

Cloud9 have won 14 of their last 16 series, with their only losses coming at the hands of FaZe Clan in the grand final of ESL Pro League 17 and Astralis in the upper-bracket final of the IEM Dallas 2023 Europe Closed Qualifier.

Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov and Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov, who were massive in both the ESL Pro League and the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown, have spearheaded this rise in form.

With the Europe Closed Qualifier completed, only the South American Closed Qualifier (April 12-13) remains before we know which 16 teams will compete at IEM Dallas 2023.

The 14 teams that have already qualified for, or been invited to, IEM Dallas 2023 are listed below.

More esports news