Eternal Fire withdraws from IEM Melbourne as concerns of burnout, packed schedule arise

Turkish CS2 squad Eternal Fire has pulled out of IEM Melbourne, set to start in late April. The organization did not share the reason for their withdrawal, with SAW next in line to replace them.

Eternal Fire will be present at this week's PGL Bucharest event, however, with pundits believing the long travel time Down Under, plus a hint of burnout, is why the Turkish team will skip the Aussie event.

ESL made the announcement late on April 3, adding that invites had been issued to the next-ranked teams according to VRS. "Eternal Fire has withdrawn from IEM Melbourne, and will no longer be competing at the tournament," the statement read.

No reason was given for the team's withdrawal. Many believe Eternal Fire's packed schedule is to blame, with the squad running arguably the most packed schedule in tier-one CS2 so far in 2025.

This season alone Eternal Fire has attended five LAN events (six if you include the BLAST Spring opening stage). Deep playoff runs at each tournament has come at a price with the squad needing to rush between locations with minimal time off to practice or return home.

Notably, İsmailcan "XANTARES" Dörtkardeş said after the team's BLAST Open Spring event last week he had experienced health issues that affected his playoff performance.

"I tried to do my best but this is all," he said on X/Twitter after Eternal Fire's defeat against MOUZ. "I have a big problem with my back. I can't breathe. My stomach is constantly burning. It hasn't gone away for 25 days."

The concerning message was followed up by the Eternal Fire organization with a medical checkup in early April. "[XANTARES] recently underwent a routine medical check-up, and there's nothing to worry about," the statement read, with the star rifler suiting up for the squad at PGL Bucharest on April 6.

According to ESL, G2, Astralis, and FURIA all were approached to attend IEM Melbourne. G2 was "interested" but declined the invitation over visa concerns, while FURIA and Astralis declined both the initial invitation back in February and the re-invitation last week.

This leaves SAW as the next squad in the pecking order, who accepted the invite and will fly to Melbourne in time for the start of the event on April 21. We last saw the Portuguese roster, which underwent significant roster changes, at ESL Pro League Season 21 in early March.

Eternal Fire return to the server this weekend against paiN for their opening PGL Bucharest Swiss stage matchup, while SAW will fly to Australia next week.

For more CS2 news stay tuned to esports.gg.