Eternal Fire and Nemesis Qualify for Stake Ranked 5 LAN

Eternal Fire and Nemesis have qualified for Stake Ranked 5, completing the eight-team lineup for the $100,000 Counter-Strike 2 LAN scheduled for October 27–30, 2026.

Both teams advanced through the Stake Ranked Episode 5 Closed Qualifier, but their routes were different. Eternal Fire defeated WBT, Nuclear TigeRES and K27, while Nemesis eliminated Rune Eaters, Sashi and fnatic.

The qualification carries extra significance because Stake Ranked Episode 5 takes place immediately before the November 2 invitation cutoff referenced by HLTV for the PGL Singapore Major. HLTV reported that both Eternal Fire and Nemesis remained outside the projected Major invitation places at the time of qualification, giving the late-October LAN potential importance in their VRS campaigns.

 

Quick Summary

Detail	Information
Event	Stake Ranked Episode 5
Qualified teams	Eternal Fire, Nemesis
Qualification route	Closed Qualifier
Closed Qualifier dates	September 24–27, 2026
Main event dates	October 27–30, 2026
Main event format	LAN
Teams	8
Prize pool	$100,000
Major invite cutoff referenced by HLTV	November 2, 2026
Opening matches	TBD
Main event location	TBD on HLTV calendar as of September 28

HLTV lists Stake Ranked Episode 5 as an eight-team LAN with a $100,000 prize pool. Its current calendar entry has the location as TBD.

 

How Eternal Fire and Nemesis Qualified for Stake Ranked 5

The Stake Ranked Episode 5 Closed Qualifier ran online in Europe from September 24 to September 27 with 16 participating teams and two main-event places available. Eternal Fire and Nemesis finished in the qualifying positions.

Eternal Fire's qualification run

Eternal Fire advanced to Stake Ranked Episode 5 after winning all three of their closed-qualifier series.

 

Eternal Fire opened their campaign against WBT on September 25.

The series ended 2-0, although the second map was considerably closer than the overall scoreline suggests. Eternal Fire took Cache 13-6 before needing overtime to close Anubis 19-17.

Their quarter-final against Nuclear TigeRES produced a tougher test.

Nuclear TigeRES won Anubis 13-7, putting Eternal Fire one map away from elimination. Eternal Fire responded by winning Dust2 13-8 and Ancient 13-8 to complete a 2-1 comeback.

That set up a qualification series against K27 on September 27. Eternal Fire secured their LAN place with a 2-0 victory, winning both Dust2 and Mirage 13-8.

Their complete route was therefore:

WBT 0-2 Eternal Fire → Nuclear TigeRES 1-2 Eternal Fire → Eternal Fire 2-0 K27

Nemesis' qualification run

Nemesis earned their Stake Ranked Episode 5 berth after defeating Rune Eaters, Sashi and fnatic in the closed qualifier.

 

Nemesis started one day earlier against Rune Eaters and produced a convincing 2-0 result.

They won Dust2 13-8 before taking Inferno 13-4 to reach the quarter-finals.

Sashi provided a much more demanding challenge.

Nemesis edged Inferno 13-10, lost Ancient 9-13 and recovered to win Nuke 13-9. Alemkhan "mag1k3Y" Moldakamalov finished that series with 66 kills and a 1.45 HLTV Rating 3.0.

Nemesis then faced fnatic with a Stake Ranked 5 place on the line.

The series began badly for Nemesis as fnatic won Dust2 13-6. Nemesis answered decisively on Cache, winning 13-5, before taking Inferno 13-9 to complete another three-map victory and secure qualification.

Their route was:

Nemesis 2-0 Rune Eaters → Nemesis 2-1 Sashi → fnatic 1-2 Nemesis

 

Stake Ranked 5 Qualification Timeline

Date	Team	Opponent	Result	Stage
Sep. 24	Nemesis	Rune Eaters	2-0	Round of 16
Sep. 25	Eternal Fire	WBT	2-0	Round of 16
Sep. 26	Nemesis	Sashi	2-1	Quarter-final
Sep. 26	Eternal Fire	Nuclear TigeRES	2-1	Quarter-final
Sep. 27	Nemesis	fnatic	2-1	Qualification match
Sep. 27	Eternal Fire	K27	2-0	Qualification match

Results are based on HLTV's event and individual match records.

 

Stake Ranked Episode 5 Team List

Eternal Fire and Nemesis take the two qualifier places alongside six teams already confirmed for the main event.

Team	Route to Stake Ranked 5
Astralis	Invited
MIBR	Invited
B8	Invited
magic	Invited
Inner Circle	Invited
BIG	Invited
Eternal Fire	Closed Qualifier
Nemesis	Closed Qualifier

HLTV confirmed the complete eight-team field following the closed qualifier.

 

Background: What Is Stake Ranked Episode 5?

Stake Ranked Episode 5 is scheduled for October 27–30, placing the tournament just days before the Major invitation cutoff highlighted by HLTV.

 

Stake Ranked Episode 5 is part of the 2026 Stake Ranked circuit organized with StarLadder.

The broader circuit was announced earlier in 2026 as a series of LAN competitions. Episode 1 was won by G2, and subsequent events continued the circuit through the season.

Episode 5 is scheduled for October 27–30 and carries a $100,000 prize pool. HLTV's current tournament calendar lists eight participating teams and the location as TBD.

Liquipedia currently lists the planned main-event structure as a double-elimination bracket, with best-of-three series except for a best-of-five grand final. Because tournament formats can still be updated before play begins, readers should check the final event page closer to October 27.

 

Why This Qualification Matters

The value of qualification extends beyond simply reaching another $100,000 LAN.

Another LAN opportunity

Eternal Fire and Nemesis have guaranteed themselves additional LAN competition against a field containing teams including Astralis, BIG, MIBR and B8.

That provides both teams with another opportunity to test their current lineups against established international opposition.

Timing matters for the Major race

The more important competitive storyline is the calendar.

Stake Ranked Episode 5 finishes on October 30. HLTV identified November 2 as the relevant invitation cutoff for the Singapore Major and reported that Eternal Fire and Nemesis were outside the projected invitation positions when they qualified.

That does not mean qualification itself guarantees either team a Major place.

It means the event potentially gives them another opportunity to influence their VRS position before the cutoff. The exact ranking effect will depend on Valve's ranking calculations and the results available at that time, so no specific VRS gain should be assumed in advance.

 

Tactical Takeaways From the Qualifier

There are several useful competitive signals in the qualification results without overinterpreting a three-series sample.

Eternal Fire showed recovery ability

Eternal Fire's most important test came against Nuclear TigeRES.

After losing Anubis 7-13, they responded with consecutive 13-8 victories on Dust2 and Ancient.

Their final series against K27 was cleaner: Eternal Fire won Dust2 and Mirage by identical 13-8 scores.

That leaves Eternal Fire with victories across Cache, Anubis, Dust2, Ancient and Mirage during the qualifier.

Nemesis survived two three-map series

Nemesis' route demanded consecutive decider-map wins.

They defeated Sashi on Nuke after losing Ancient, then recovered from a one-map deficit against fnatic by taking Cache and Inferno.

Their Sashi series also featured an individually notable performance from mag1k3Y, whose 66 kills, 93.3 ADR and 1.45 Rating 3.0 led Nemesis in the three-map victory.

These results provide evidence of resilience during this qualifier, although they should not by themselves be treated as a prediction of LAN performance.

 

Key Details

Category	Eternal Fire	Nemesis
Closed Qualifier record	3-0 series	3-0 series
Round of 16	2-0 vs WBT	2-0 vs Rune Eaters
Quarter-final	2-1 vs Nuclear TigeRES	2-1 vs Sashi
Qualification match	2-0 vs K27	2-1 vs fnatic
Series lost	0	0
Maps lost	1	2
Main event status	Qualified	Qualified
Opening LAN opponent	TBD	TBD

 

Tournament Impact

The closed qualifier completed the Stake Ranked Episode 5 lineup.

Six teams — Astralis, MIBR, B8, magic, Inner Circle and BIG — were already confirmed before Eternal Fire and Nemesis claimed the remaining places.

That produces an eight-team field mixing recognizable international organizations with teams trying to improve their position late in the 2026 competitive calendar.

The proximity to the Major invitation cutoff adds another layer to the tournament. For teams near relevant VRS thresholds, individual results could carry implications beyond the $100,000 prize pool.

Any precise ranking impact, however, should be assessed only once updated VRS data is available.

 

Historical Context

Stake Ranked Episode 5 continues a circuit that began earlier in 2026.

StarLadder and Stake announced five additional LAN events after the first edition, establishing Stake Ranked as a recurring part of the year's CS2 calendar. G2 won Episode 1.

For Nemesis, the qualification is also not their first success in the circuit's qualifiers: the organization previously qualified for Stake Ranked Episode 1 alongside 9INE in March. HLTV's Nemesis news archive records that earlier qualification.

 

Impact Analysis

For Eternal Fire: The immediate gain is a place at another international LAN. Their comeback against Nuclear TigeRES prevented an early qualifier exit, while the 2-0 against K27 completed a six-map-winning run after the opening-map loss of the quarter-final.

For Nemesis: Beating Sashi and fnatic in consecutive three-map series gives the team a meaningful late-season LAN opportunity. Their ability to recover from losing Dust2 against fnatic was particularly important because that series directly decided qualification.

For Stake Ranked 5: The event now has its complete eight-team field, allowing attention to shift toward the bracket, opening matchups and final tournament details.

For the Major race: HLTV specifically highlighted the event's proximity to the November 2 cutoff. Eternal Fire and Nemesis were outside the projected invitations when qualification was confirmed, so their results in late October could be relevant to their remaining path toward Singapore.

 

What Changes Now?

Neither Eternal Fire nor Nemesis needs to play another Stake Ranked Episode 5 qualifier.

Their places at the main LAN are secured.

The next major pieces of event information still to be finalized or confirmed include:

opening matchups and bracket;

exact match schedule;

updated VRS positions closer to the tournament;

final venue/location confirmation on HLTV;

any roster changes or substitutions before the event.

Until those details are officially published, they should be treated as TBD.

 

What to Watch Next

The central storyline will be the short gap between Stake Ranked Episode 5 and the Major invitation cutoff cited by HLTV.

The tournament runs from October 27 through October 30, leaving only days before November 2.

That makes updated VRS standings one of the most important data points to watch when the LAN begins.

The opening bracket is also still TBD. Once released, it will show whether Eternal Fire and Nemesis immediately face one of the higher-profile invited teams or have a different route through the tournament

 

FAQ

Did Eternal Fire qualify for Stake Ranked 5?

Yes. Eternal Fire defeated WBT, Nuclear TigeRES and K27 in the closed qualifier to secure one of the two available main-event places.

Did Nemesis qualify for Stake Ranked Episode 5?

Yes. Nemesis beat Rune Eaters, Sashi and fnatic. Their final qualification series ended with a 2-1 victory over fnatic.

When is Stake Ranked Episode 5?

The tournament is scheduled for October 27–30, 2026.

What is the Stake Ranked Episode 5 prize pool?

The main event has a $100,000 prize pool.

Which teams will play at Stake Ranked 5?

The confirmed field is Astralis, MIBR, B8, magic, Inner Circle, BIG, Eternal Fire and Nemesis.