Eternal Fire beat 100 Thieves 2-1 to reach the IEM Beijing 2026 Closed Qualifier, with regali starring and soulfly delivering on the decider.

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Eternal Fire secured a place in the IEM Beijing 2026 Closed Qualifier after taking down 100 Thieves 2-1 in the European open qualifier, recovering from a one-sided Dust2 loss to close the series on Mirage.

The August 24 best-of-three carried a straightforward condition: win and move on, lose and miss the closed stage. Eternal Fire took their own Ancient pick 13-9, 100 Thieves answered 13-7 on Dust2, and the newly rebuilt international roster finished the job with a 13-10 victory on Mirage.

The result was also an encouraging first test for Eternal Fire's latest iteration. Caner "soulfly" Kesici had joined from Aurora only a day earlier as Alexander "br0" Bro moved to the bench, while Samet "jottAAA" Köklü's loan from Aurora was converted into a permanent transfer.

Quick Summary

Detail	Information
Tournament	IEM Beijing 2026 Open Qualifier
Match	100 Thieves vs Eternal Fire
Result	Eternal Fire 2-1 100 Thieves
Maps	Ancient 13-9, Dust2 7-13, Mirage 13-10
Stage	Qualification match — winner advanced to Closed Qualifier
Standout player	regali — 1.23 rating
Main storyline	Eternal Fire recovered from losing Dust2 and overturned a 5-7 halftime deficit on Mirage

 

What Happened?

There was little separating the teams through the opening half of Ancient. Eternal Fire had selected the map after removing Nuke, while 100 Thieves entered the series with Cache taken out of the pool. The first 12 rounds ended level at 6-6 before Eternal Fire found the cleaner finish after the switch.

Seven of the final ten rounds went Eternal Fire's way as they converted the map 13-9. jottAAA did much of the damage, finishing Ancient with 19 kills, 108.3 ADR and a 1.61 rating, while regali added a 1.29 rating from the AWP.

100 Thieves responded immediately on Dust2, their own pick. Jack "Gizmy" von Spreckelsen's side built a 7-5 halftime advantage and then allowed Eternal Fire only two rounds in the second half.

Alex "poiii" Nyholm Sundgren led the turnaround with a 1.55 rating, while Håvard "rain" Nygaard produced a 1.36. Eternal Fire struggled to generate the same pressure they had shown on Ancient, and the 13-7 score pushed the qualification match to Mirage.

The decider initially appeared to be leaning in the same direction.

100 Thieves reached halftime 7-5 ahead, putting Eternal Fire in a position where their new lineup had to produce a comeback with a closed-qualifier berth on the line. Instead of fading, Eternal Fire took control of the second half.

They won eight of the next 11 rounds to close Mirage 13-10 and the series 2-1. soulfly delivered his best map of the match when it mattered most, recording 19 kills against 11 deaths and a 1.47 rating. Kvem was equally important with 21 kills and a 1.33 rating.

It was a useful early indication for a roster that had barely had time to settle. Eternal Fire did not dominate the series — Dust2 was evidence of that — but they found answers on both their own map and the decider despite playing with soulfly for the first time at an official tournament.

Why This Match Matters

For Eternal Fire, this was more than another online best-of-three.

The organization has spent much of 2026 rebuilding its international roster. regali and Gareth "MisteM" Ries arrived during the spring, Kvem was added in July, br0's stint lasted only eight matches, and soulfly was brought in immediately before the Beijing qualifier.

Missing IEM Beijing before even reaching the closed qualifier would therefore have added more pressure to a project still trying to establish a stable five. Instead, Eternal Fire now have another route into a major international LAN and more official matches in which to develop the new lineup.

For 100 Thieves, the defeat ends their Beijing run despite entering the matchup as the higher-ranked side. HLTV listed 100 Thieves at No. 31 and Eternal Fire at No. 78 on the match page.

The loss is particularly frustrating because 100 Thieves were one map away from qualification after a convincing Dust2 and held the advantage at halftime on Mirage.

Head-to-Head Context

There was no established rivalry to lean on before the series.

HLTV's pre-match head-to-head data showed 0 wins for 100 Thieves and 0 wins for Eternal Fire, making the Beijing qualifier their first recorded meeting with these teams.

That made current roster context far more relevant than historical results. 100 Thieves have only been playing under Gizmy's leadership since July, when the British player replaced Ag1l and took over the in-game leadership from rain.

Eternal Fire's lineup was even newer, with soulfly announced on August 23.

Map Breakdown

Ancient — Eternal Fire win 13-9

Eternal Fire chose Ancient and justified the pick after a balanced opening half.

The teams were tied 6-6 at the break, but Eternal Fire were much more efficient once the sides changed, winning the second half 7-3.

jottAAA was the difference-maker statistically. His 19-14 record and 1.61 rating were the best numbers on the server, while regali provided a reliable second source of impact.

Dust2 — 100 Thieves win 13-7

100 Thieves answered on their map pick without giving Eternal Fire a realistic route back into the game.

A 7-5 first half became a comfortable victory after the break as 100 Thieves took six of eight rounds to finish 13-7.

poiii led the server with a 1.55 rating, backed by rain at 1.36 and Gizmy at 1.26. Eternal Fire's attack never generated enough momentum to threaten a late comeback.

Mirage — Eternal Fire win 13-10

Mirage provided the real test of Eternal Fire's new lineup.

100 Thieves entered the second half 7-5 ahead, but Eternal Fire turned the map around with an 8-3 closing stretch.

soulfly produced a 1.47 rating in the decider, while Kvem finished with 21 kills, 99.4 ADR and a 1.33 rating. regali added another steady performance at 1.19 as Eternal Fire denied 100 Thieves the final three rounds they needed for qualification.

Key Players

regali — Eternal Fire

regali was the most consistent player across the three maps and finished as HLTV's top-rated player of the series.

The Romanian AWPer recorded 50 kills to 36 deaths, 75.9 ADR, 81.5% KAST and a 1.23 rating. His Ancient performance helped Eternal Fire establish the series lead, and he remained productive even during the Dust2 defeat.

soulfly — Eternal Fire

The timing made soulfly one of the central storylines before the match.

Eternal Fire had only just signed the 22-year-old following his time with Aurora, where he had been benched in July after helping the team reach the semi-finals of the IEM Cologne Major.

His series numbers were solid rather than spectacular — 44-40 and a 1.07 rating — but his strongest map came on Mirage, where his 19-11 performance played a major part in securing qualification.

jottAAA — Eternal Fire

jottAAA made his biggest contribution on Ancient.

One day after Eternal Fire confirmed his permanent transfer from Aurora, he posted a 1.61 rating on the opening map and gave the team the firepower needed to pull away after the 6-6 half.

poiii — 100 Thieves

poiii was 100 Thieves' highest-rated player across the series at 1.10 and was excellent on Dust2.

His 17-10 performance helped force Mirage, but neither he nor the rest of the lineup could reproduce that level after halftime on the decider.

Interesting Facts and Context

• Eternal Fire entered the match at No. 78 in HLTV's ranking compared with No. 31 for 100 Thieves.
• The series was the first recorded head-to-head meeting between the two teams on HLTV.
• soulfly had been officially announced by Eternal Fire just one day before the qualification match.
• Eternal Fire's current five consists of MisteM, regali, soulfly, Kvem and jottAAA, with Yiğit "yT" Özden coaching the lineup.
• 100 Thieves' current lineup features device, rain, Gizmy, poiii and sirah, with Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander as coach.
• The other teams to qualify through the European open stage were Nemiga, Nuclear TigeRES and Color.

What Comes Next?

Eternal Fire will return to action in the IEM Beijing 2026 Closed Qualifier, scheduled for September 2-4.

The online European qualifier features 16 teams in a double-elimination best-of-three bracket. Eternal Fire, Nemiga, Nuclear TigeRES and Color join 12 directly invited teams including B8, GamerLegion, magic, paiN, BIG, 3DMAX, MIBR, HEROIC and EYEBALLERS.

Only the top two teams earn places at IEM Beijing itself, meaning Eternal Fire still have a significant amount of work ahead of them.

The main event will take place in Beijing from November 2-8, with 16 teams competing for a $1.25 million prize pool. Falcons, FURIA, MOUZ, Natus Vincere, FaZe, Aurora, G2, Legacy and The MongolZ are among the teams already listed for the tournament.

For 100 Thieves, the defeat means there is no second route through the European closed qualifier. Their Beijing campaign ends one series short of qualification after surrendering a 7-5 halftime advantage on the final map.

FAQ

Who won 100 Thieves vs Eternal Fire?

Eternal Fire won the series 2-1 in the IEM Beijing 2026 Open Qualifier.

What were the map scores?

Eternal Fire won Ancient 13-9, 100 Thieves won Dust2 13-7, and Eternal Fire took Mirage 13-10.

Who was the standout player?

regali finished as the highest-rated player of the match with a 1.23 rating and a 50-36 K-D record.

Did soulfly play for Eternal Fire?

Yes. The IEM Beijing open qualifier was Eternal Fire's first tournament after signing soulfly from Aurora on August 23.

What happens next for Eternal Fire?

They advance to the 16-team IEM Beijing 2026 Closed Qualifier on September 2-4, where two places at the main event are available.