CS 2
Updated April 21: added playoffs brackets
CS:GO is going back to Brazil this week for IEM Rio 2023 after over five months since hosting one of the most hyped Major events ever.
The IEM events are without a doubt one of the most competitive circuits in the game’s esport, It’s where teams battle viciously under the roars of thousands of fans cheering for every frag, play and clutch.
The event will take place in the Jeunesse Arena from the 17th to 23rd of April, gathering some of the best teams in the world to compete not only for the prize money, but for the glory before a new chapter opens in Counter-Strike 2.
Until Counter-Strike 2 arrives, Here’s everything you need to know about IEM Rio 2023.
Teams attending
A total of 16 teams will battle in the event, While most of the teams are ESL partnered, Others have made it through ESL ranking and different Qualifiers; European, North American, Asian and South American.
Here’s the full list of teams attending:
Partnered teams
- FaZe Clan
- Fnatic
- MOUZ
- Natus Vincere
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- Team Vitality
ESL World ranking
- Heroic
- Virtus Pro
- Cloud9
- OG
Qualifiers
- 9INE
- BIG
- MIBR
- 9z Team
- The MongolZ
How to watch IEM Rio 2023
As per usual with ESL events, The tournament will be streamed on their Twitch Channels including the B stream since two matches will be played at the same time.
Following the last event in Rio, As a part of the In-Arena Experience, Gaules will stream from the arena in Portuguese and provide a fun experience exactly like the last Major which created incredibly beautiful scenes outside the Arena. If you’re attending the event, then this map will be useful to find your way around.
IEM Rio event map by ESL.The matches will start at 15:00 UTC+1, starting with Group A matches then moving to Group B which can only mean a long day full of excitement and action.
Group A: 15:00 - 16:45 UTC+1
Group B: 17:30 - 18:45 UTC+1
Format, prize pool distribution
The tournament will follow the two double-elimination format groups (GSL) with each group having eight teams. The opening matches will be played as BO1s, and all following matches will be played as BO3s.
The top three teams from each group will advance to the Playoffs, The group stage winners will advance straight to Semi-Finals while the runner-ups and 3rd placed teams will qualify to the Quarterfinals as high and low seeds.
The playoffs will be played in a single elimination bracket, Quarterfinals and Semi-finals will be BO3s while the Champion will be decided after a BO5 in the Grand-Finals.
The total prize pool is $250,000, With most of it going to the Champion in addition to a ticket to IEM Cologne 2023. The winnings are spread among the rest of the participants as seen below:
IEM Rio Prize Pool DistributionScores, Brackets, Results
Group A
IEM Rio 2023 Group AGroup B
IEM Rio 2023 Group BPlayoffs bracket:
CS2 Showmatch:
A showmatch will be held during the last day of the event featuring Team Brazil vs Team Rest of The World on Counter-Strike 2.
While Team Rest of The World’s lineup wasn’t announced yet, Team Brazil’s lineup is stacked with iconic and legendary names. “Fallen”, “VINI”, “insani”, “TACO” and “bt0” will represent their country in front of their home crowd at 16:00 UTC+1 so make sure to join the fun and enjoy the best crowd.
Group A & Group B images: Liquipedia
Cover image: ESL
