Eternal Fire, the Turkish team, has withdrawn from IEM Melbourne 2025, as announced by ESL on their social media channels. The reasons for their withdrawal have not been disclosed, but the tournament organizers quickly started searching for a replacement.

According to the current world rankings, invitations were sent to G2, Astralis, FURIA, and then to SAW. The first three teams declined to participate, and as a result, the invitation was accepted by the Portuguese team SAW.

Updated Participant List

With the addition of SAW, the final participant list for IEM Melbourne 2025 is now as follows:

• Spirit
• Vitality
• Liquid
• paiN
• The Mongolz
• FlyQuest
• FaZe
• Natus Vincere
• MOUZ
• Falcons
• Virtus.pro
• GamerLegion
• 3DMAX
• MIBR
• BIG
• SAW

This replacement could be a turning point for SAW, as such opportunities are rare. Will the Portuguese team be able to seize this unexpected invitation and surprise their opponents?

IEM Melbourne 2025 will take place from April 21 to April 27. The tournament will feature 16 teams competing for a prize pool of $300,000. All matches will be held in Melbourne, Australia, at the Rod Laver Arena.