ESL is kicking off October 2024 with a bang, thanks to the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) event in Brazil. At IEM Rio 2024, Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports teams will compete for their share of the $250,000 prize pool and one coveted spot at IEM Katowice 2025.
This guide explains the IEM Rio 2024 tournament format, schedule, competing teams, and how to watch all the action live from the comfort of your home. We also share our expert betting predictions as we look ahead to see who could claim a podium finish.
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IEM Rio 2024 Schedule & Format
IEM Rio 2024 is a LAN event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from Oct. 7 to 11. The tournament features two stages of competition: the Group Stage and the Playoffs Stage.
The action begins with two double-elimination format (GSL-style) groups, each with eight teams. Opening matches in the Group Stage are BO1, while all other matches are BO3. Here’s how the rest of the tournament shakes out:
- The winner of each group advances to the Semifinals of the Playoffs.
- The runners-up advance to the Quarterfinals as the High Seeds
- The third-place teams advance to the Quarterfinals as the Low Seeds.
- The other teams are eliminated.
The IEM Rio 2024 Playoffs Stage will occur in front of a crowd at the Farmasi Arena. It will feature a single-elimination bracket format, with all matches being BO3.
How To Watch IEM Rio 2024
You can consider our CS2 betting section as your CS2 esports hub. In addition to betting on the action, you can watch every match live here, too. All you need to do is select the “Live” tab and then the camera icon next to an IEM Rio 2024 match for the embedded stream to appear.
Fans can also watch IEM Rio 2024 via the tournament organizer’s ESLCS Twitch and ESL Counter-Strike YouTube channels.
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Teams Competing In IEM Rio 2024
The level of competition at IEM Rio 2024 is higher than ever. The tournament features six ESL Partner Teams and 10 squads that qualified via rankings or regional events. You can see the 16 competitors in their respective groups and opening matchups below.
Group A Teams & Matchups:
- NAVI vs. Imperial Esports
- Team Liquid vs. Complexity
- FURIA Esports vs. FaZe Clan
- paiN Gaming vs. MOUZ
Group B Teams & Matchups:
- 9z Team vs. Team Vitality
- Virtus.pro vs. TheMongolZ
- Astralis vs. Eternal Fire
- HEROIC vs. G2 Esports
Please note: Rare Atom could not make it to IEM Rio 2024 due to visa issues. Imperial Esports from the South American qualifier are competing in their place.
Our Predictions For IEM Rio 2024
IEM Rio 2024 starts just after the BLAST Fall Final finished up, and before that, ESL Pro League Season 20 had teams competing for three weeks. With the risk of player burnout high this time of the year, there’s more potential for upsets.
Check out our top four predictions for IEM Rio 2024 below.
Please note: Our IEM Rio predictions consider the latest HLTV rankings, historical data, stats, current team and player form, and recent performances at BLAST Fall Final and ESL Pro League Season 20. Past performance does not guarantee future outcomes. You should not interpret this analysis as betting advice to act upon. Always gamble responsibly.
1. G2 Esports
G2 Esports is ranked #2 globally, and they have momentum as they head to Rio de Janeiro. The squad has strengthened throughout the year as they won IEM Dallas, placed second at the Esports World Cup, and earned 3rd/4th place at EPL Season 20. That hot streak continued when they lifted the BLAST Fall Final trophy on Sept. 29, 2024, after demolishing NAVI 3-1 in the grand finale.
The newest roster addition, Guatemalan rifler malbsMd, is acclimating exceptionally well. Plus, the deadly duo of moNESY and NiKo are pushing the envelope. There’s no event G2 Esports can’t win if huNter- steps up his game and Snax pushes himself.
G2 Esports roster:
- Nikola “NiKo” Kovač
- Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov
- Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa
- Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač
- Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski (IGL)
- Wiktor “TaZ” Wojtas (Coach)
2. Team Vitality
Ranked #3, Team Vitality is one of the strongest squads at IEM Rio 2024, with the great ZywOo as the tip of their spear. We saw the team lift the IEM Cologne 2024 trophy in Germany on Aug. 18, but that was their only S-Tier event win of the year.
While Team Vitality is a solid contender in any tournament, they are struggling to close out an event. If this trend continues, apEX’s side could falter at the last hurdle in Rio de Janeiro.
Team Vitality roster:
- Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
- Lotan “Spinx” Giladi
- Shahar “flameZ” Shushan
- William “mezii” Merriman
- Dan “apEX” Madesclaire (IGL)
- Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam (Coach)
3. NAVI
It’s no secret that Aleksib’s side is the best team in the world right now. NAVI sits comfortably on top of the rankings, having reached five grand finales and adding the PGL Major Copenhagen, Esports World Cup, and EPL Season 20 trophies to their long list of accolades.
NAVI can likely win the event and steamroll over most of the competition, but—and this is a serious but—it all depends on their level of exhaustion after playing in the grand finals of three consecutive S-Tier events. Plus, at the BLAST Fall Final, we did see that NAVI is indeed beatable, with G2 Esports pulling off a convincing win.
NAVI roster:
- Valerij “b1t” Vakhovsjkyj
- Justinas “jL” Lekavičius
- Mihai “iM” Ivan
- Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov
- Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen (IGL)
- Andrij “B1ad3” Ghorodensjkyj (Coach)
4. Team Liquid
Consider Team Liquid’s high placement above FaZe Clan and MOUZ as our bold prediction for IEM Rio 2024. Team Liquid gets more efficient in every tournament, with Canadian IGL Twistzz pulling his team together like the Counter-Strike savant he is.
At the forefront of the team’s assault on the global rankings is young AWPer Roland “ultimate” Tomkowiak, who only played his first S-Tier event a few months ago. The newcomer is frighteningly skillful, and if he is on form at IEM Rio 2024, Team Liquid may just upset some higher-ranked teams to earn a podium finish.
Team Liquid roster:
- Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis
- Keith “NAF” Markovic
- Roland “ultimate” Tomkowiak
- Justin “jks” Savage
- Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken (IGL)
- Torbjørn “mithR” Nyborg (Coach)
Are You Ready For Rio?
The countdown to IEM Rio is nearly over, and it’s impossible to express how excited we are to see these 16 teams compete. The lineup is so jam-packed with talent that it was seriously difficult to narrow down our predictions to just the four teams we listed above. But given their form recently and the added factor of year-end exhaustion, these squads certainly have what it takes to win it all.
Keep up with all the IEM Rio 2024 action on our CS2 betting page, where you can place bets and watch all the matches live!
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