EMEA's whirlwind qualifiers

The first Monthly Finals of this year are starting very soon, and nobody expected less from the craziest qualifier of this month, which is, of course, EMEA's Monthly Qualifier.

The chaos started even before MQ's start when TOs announced that there were over 6000 EMEA teams registered (the limit of the MQ bracket is 1024). But to make it fair, they reserved spots for the Top 32 teams (based on BSC points earned in 2023) Yet there were still notable teams who didn't manage to check in in time, like Reverso Gaming EU and Activium. But issues didn't end even when it came to the event itself, as there were several technical issues, which resulted in about a 2-hour delay in total before matches even began.

As for the bracket, it was much more balanced than other regions' brackets. Every team had a chance to qualify, which surprised everyone since the seeding for the first qualifier is always random.

After issues were resolved, the rest of the qualifier went pretty smoothly, that is until the disqualification chaos on day 2 began. Following FUT Esports' shock loss to Yee in the Lower Bracket, which meant that the team were eliminated from the Monthly Qualifier, the miracle underdog story fell as fast as it rose as it was found that the team had an underage play, leading to their disqualification. This, somewhat controversially, gave FUT a second chance to qualify, which they did not squander.

Following such an eventful Monthly Qualifier, it is hard to see how the Monthly Finals, with 8 extremely talented teams can disappoint. Tune in on Saturday at 11:30am UTC to find out who is crowned kings of EMEA!

List of all qualified teams:

1. Gaimin Gladiators | Angelboy, Cubick, Nob?, Nikounaki (M), Sugus (A)

Gaimin Gladiators (formerly Team Ogurchiki) destroyed their quarter of the bracket and qualified from the Upper Bracket, sweeping both Am o fantezie and SK Gaming in the last 2 rounds. Being the only CIS representatives, they have hopes of the entire region put on their shoulders. However, they also showed that they certainly have enough skill to be the best and beat the best - which they will need to prove yet again on Saturday.

2. ZETA DIVISION | GeRo, MeOw, Nowy297, Leightox (A)

The current World Champions qualifying from the Upper Bracket wasn't a surprise for anybody. Although having a relatively easier bracket, ZETA didn't drop a single set in their run through the Monthly Qualifier and advanced to Monthly Finals without breaking a sweat.

3. Eclipsar Esport | GuGu, Mric, Ope, Mathis (M), titidej59 (A)

Eclipsar's case is the complete opposite of ZETA's - everybody called them underdogs and didn't expect them to qualify, especially from the Upper Bracket. However, they managed to upset HMBLE and BC* Gaming, who were considered stronger teams than ECP. Despite most of the players in the top 24 of the Monthly Qualifier being French, Eclipsar are the only team to represent France in Monthly Finals.

4. Reply Totem | iKaoss, Maru, Maury, Alez (M), Role (C), xCasta (A)

Reply Totem are a team of extremely experienced and high-profile players. They are the 4th Upper Bracket team and had to knock out VN Esporting on their path to qualification, the most notable opponents in their MQ run. However, in SK Gaming, they face a much tougher opponent than anyone they faced in the MQ - and will hope that they won't slip up.

5. BC* Gaming | Tomzy, Salty, Mewtu, Shoto (M), Venm (A)

There weren't any problems in MQ for BC* before they met Eclipsar Esport, who knocked them out of the Upper Bracket. Later in Lower Bracket, they faced F/A Big Dog, with whom they fought for the Monthly Finals spot. Being the heavy favourites of this matchup, they defeated their enemies and qualified for Monthlies, where they will get a chance to take revenge on Eclipsar Esport in the Quarter Finals.

6. FUT Esports | Drage, OG, Filippo, Acee (A)

The team who lost to Ogurchiki in the Upper Bracket and later to Yee in the Lower, got their second chance since Yee had a player that was ineligible to play due to age. FUT capitalised on their second chance by defeating Am o fantezie and F/A Diff in their last 2 matches but now face Ogurchiki (now Gaimin Gladiators) again in their quarter-final matchup.

7. SK Gaming | LeNain, Joker, Yoshi825, KValafar (M), Pedro Guijaroo (C), OscarDC (A)

SK were coasting through the MQ before facing their toughest opponent yet in Team Ogurchiki, who then swept them in the last round of the Upper Bracket. They got knocked down into the last round of the Lower Bracket where they faced and defeated VN Esporting to qualify for the Monthly Finals. They face a tough opponent to start with in Reply Totem, where ex-teammates meet again in their first clash since switching allegiances.

8. HMBLE | Lukii, BosS, Symantec, Canaan (C), Vid (A)

Like the other 3 Lower Bracket teams, HMBLE also had it tough on their road to Monthly Finals. Being eliminated by Eclipsar Esport in the penultimate Upper Bracket round, they had to win 3 more games if they wanted that MF spot. After comfortably defeating F/A Jazavci and F/A db they met Millésime BS, whom they also swept without any problem. They face a real challenge in the quarter-finals and must beat current World Champions ZETA DIVISION if they are to progress to the semi-finals and beyond.