Team Spirit Forfeits 2026 ACI After Skipping IEM Atlanta

The ESL FACEIT Group announced on June 1 that Team Spirit has forfeited its share of the 2026 Annual Club Incentive after declining to attend IEM Atlanta. The Atlanta absence was the organisation’s third tournament decline across the 2025–2026 cycle, triggering a forfeiture clause in the circuit’s Ecosystem Agreement.

The update says Team Spirit’s projected $420,550 share has been removed from the 2026 ACI distribution and the club is barred from receiving ACI rewards for the remainder of the year. The Ecosystem Agreement states: “If the Team exceeds the allowed number of tournament declines permitted under Clause 4(a) of this agreement, the Team shall forfeit its Annual Club Incentive for the calendar year in which the declines occurred.” The policy also specifies that points accumulated before the forfeiture are not reabsorbed into the fund for redistribution.

With Team Spirit removed from the calculations, NAVI moved into first place on the active leaderboard with a $452,715 current share. The standings show a tie for second between B8 Esports and FURIA at $268,470 each, followed by Team Vitality at $236,886, G2 Esports at $213,197 and FaZe Clan at $181,612.

IEM Atlanta contributed 108 of the 720 total ACI points available in 2026. Organisers used audited average concurrent viewership during the Group Stage to rank the 16 teams and awarded performance points to the top 12 rosters. BC.Game Esports led Group Stage viewership with an average CCV of 344,059, followed by Team Vitality at 277,157, FaZe Clan at 149,848, NAVI at 137,967 and BetBoom Team at 131,017. The circuit’s Event Multiplier continues to affect standings by rewarding teams that attend events consistently.

Team Spirit will regain eligibility for the Annual Club Incentive beginning in 2027. The 2026 ACI cycle will close at year-end, with final financial payouts to the top 16 qualifying clubs scheduled for the first quarter of 2027. The next point-contributing event is the IEM Cologne Major 2026, which will use a 32-team format and aggregate viewership across Stages 1 through 3 for post‑Cologne leaderboard updates. Global Esports Industry Week will return June 18–21 in Cologne alongside IEM Cologne.