Preasy and Metizport make IEM Dallas closed qualifier

4-3-2024 11:43

The two Nordic squads beat out a strong field featuring multiple teams around the top 30.

dupreeh is seeking to ease some of the pain of missing out on a Major for the first time

Preasy and Metizport are both one step closer to earning a berth at IEM Dallas after they successfully navigated the first open qualifier, granting them spots in the Europe closed qualifier, which is set to take place March 12-14.

There is still stiff competition ahead of the two Nordic squads as they seek to grab one of the two Dallas berths on offer, as top 10 teams like Virtus.pro, Cloud9 and ENCE await in the closed qualifier. There are still two more closed qualifier spots available, which will be decided by a second open qualifier that is scheduled for March 4-5.

Preasy were seeking to redeem their failure in the recent Europe RMR, which denied them the chance to appear at the first-ever Danish Major and ended Peter "⁠dupreeh⁠" Rasmussen's perfect streak of Major appearances.

dupreeh on missing his first Major: "I guess I'm mortal after all"

The Danes took a step towards redemption in fine fashion during the open qualifier, with Fredrik "⁠roeJ⁠" Jørgensen and dupreeh in excellent form as the team grabbed a closed qualifier spot with relative ease. 13-7 wins over ex-ENEIDA and BetBoom set up a Danish derby series against ECSTATIC. After dropping their map pick in overtime against the Major-qualified team, Preasy breezed through the next two to complete the reverse sweep and lock in a closed qualifier place.

Date	Matches
IEM Dallas 2024 Europe Open Qualifier 1
03/03/2024	Preasy Finished 13:7 ex-ENEIDA	Match
03/03/2024	Preasy Finished 13:7 BetBoom	Match
03/03/2024	Preasy Finished 2:1 ECSTATIC	Match

Metizport, meanwhile, are a squad that has been on the rise in recent months, recently peaking at No. 44 in the ranking amidst strong performances by youngsters Adam "⁠adamb⁠" Ångström and Linus "⁠nilo⁠" Bergman.

nilo part of Metizport quartet to extend contract

It was the latter who shone particularly during this qualifier, posting a storming 1.85-rated performance to help clinch a tight 13-10 win over RUSH B before leading the way once again in a 13-8 over ILIN. The Chosen Few, who had impressively beat KOI and TSM, awaited in the qualification match, and convincing victories either side of a loss Vertigo clinched Metizport their closed qualifier berth.

Date	Matches
IEM Dallas 2024 Europe Open Qualifier 1
03/03/2024	RUSH B Finished 10:13 Metizport	Match
03/03/2024	ILIN Finished 8:13 Metizport	Match
03/03/2024	Metizport Finished 2:1 The Chosen Few	Match