Upsets galore in day one of the IEM Chicago open qualifier
The first day of the IEM Chicago open qualifier has ended, with a multitude of MDL teams falling in the opening matches of the bracket.
One of the first upsets in the bracket was against AZIO, who were playing in the qualifier with Jack "xCeeD" Holiman as a stand-in. Despite the players' strong past achievements and the hype around the roster, the team were knocked out in their first match, losing to Anges Big Toe, who is currently playing in Main, in a 16-10 match on Mirage.
Excelerate's new roster also experienced a similar fate, falling to Team Texas, who had just recently been promoted to Main from Intermediate, in yet another 16-10 match on Mirage. Vireo.pro was the next in line, making it to the third round as the second seed before falling to no u, who have long been playing in Main, in a 16-13 game once again on Mirage.
While some MDL favorites dropped early in the bracket, teams such as Vision and RESOLUTE have made it to the final round, which will play out tomorrow. The final round is not without its Main and Advanced teams however, as iNTACT, Anges Big Toe, and Grizzlys have also reached the final round.
The last four matchups of the open qualifier can be seen below.
 Velocity |
vs. | Vision |
| BlackOut |
vs. | RESOLUTE |
| iNTACT |
vs. | Anges Big Toe |
 oNe |
vs. |  Grizzlys |
The first two matches will kick off later today at 6 PM EDT, and the next two following at 9 PM EDT, with each being played in a best-of-three series. The closed qualifier will begin on August 23rd, following the end of the open qualifier, with the invited teams set to be announced in the coming days.
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