MAD Lions, Fiend secure first IEM Fall closed qualifier spots

The two teams will play for their first chance to earn Regional Major Ranking points in mid-September.

MAD Lions and Fiend have earned the first two spots in the IEM Fall Europe closed qualifier after coming out on top of the first open qualifier for the final RMR tournament in Europe, the only Major ranking event set to take place on LAN.

The two teams fought through six rounds after over 120 teams signed up for the first of a total of four open qualifiers, with MAD Lions most notably taking down HAVU — the highest-seeded team in attendance — and AVEZ on the way, while Fiend had Galaxy Racer and LDLC in their path.

MAD Lions have Woro2k to thank for their qualification

The qualification will come as reassurance to the European side that recent changes they made bore fruit, after the team brought in Johannes "⁠b0RUP⁠" Borup instead of Teodor "⁠SPELLAN⁠" Nikolov and transferred in-game leadership duties to Thomas "⁠TMB⁠" Bundsbæk earlier in August.

This will mark MAD Lions's and Fiend's first appearance in a closed qualifier for an RMR tournament. That is set to take place on September 14-16 and award 12 spots in the main event, which will run on LAN at an undisclosed location from September 29.

The 14 other teams taking part in the closed qualifier will be determined via invites and the remaining three open qualifiers (on September 2-3, 4-5, and 9-10).