Eternal Fire Drop Into Elimination Matches After NADE Shock

Rafał Kończyk Rafał Kończyk

Published: Aug 8, 2026

Underdogs NADE delivered a major shock on Day 1 of the Esports World Cup 2026 Open Qualifier, defeating Eternal Fire 2-1 and sending Samet jottAAA Köklü and company into Saturday’s elimination matches.

The opening fixture for groups 9 through 16 in the 64-team open qualifier began with Eternal Fire taking Dust2 13-5. NADE responded with a 13-7 victory on Ancient before completing the upset in the three-map series. Eternal Fire were the only big-name team to move into the elimination matches after the opening round.

Most Favorites Advance Comfortably

Most favorites passed their first test without much difficulty, with Liquid, NRG, and 100 Thieves among the teams to secure comfortable 2-0 victories. 100 Thieves were led by Jack Gizmy von Spreckelsen, who recorded a 2.85 rating in the team’s opener.

Virtus.pro also beat Sangal 2-0 in one of the more even matches on paper, while FOKUS needed overtime on Inferno to get past Partizan.

Saturday Schedule

A busy slate of matches is scheduled for Saturday before the playoffs. Standout matchups include:

Eternal Fire will return in Saturday’s elimination matches as they look to remain in the qualifier.

Source: HLTV

Rafał Kończyk
Rafał Kończyk

Since: June 3, 2026

Rafał Kończyk has been following competitive gaming since the early days of StarCraft II and League of Legends, back when esports betting was barely a footnote in the broader gambling conversation. Growing up in Wrocław, Poland, he developed a sharp eye for team dynamics and meta shifts that most casual fans overlook, and that analytical instinct eventually pulled him toward the betting side of the scene. He approaches every matchup the way a statistician would, but writes about it the way a fan would, which tends to resonate with readers who are tired of surface-level picks and gut-feel predictions.

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