IEM Rio 2024 Group Stage & Matchups Revealed

With IEM Rio 2024 inching nearer and nearer, fans have understandably been eager to find out what opening matchups have been planned for the tournament. The ESL has recently announced the groups as well as the opening matches for the 7-day event that will run from October 7–13.

The S-tier tournament will take place in Rio once again for the third year running and will feature 16 teams. IEM Rio 2024 will see the 16 teams face off in fierce competition for seven days as they each scramble for the mind-boggling $250,000 prize pool. With the conclusion of the qualifiers, the full list of teams participating is as follows:

Teams Participating in IEM Rio 2024

• Natus Vincere
• Vitality
• MOUZ
• G2
• FaZe
• pro
• Liquid
• Astralis
• Complexity
• The MongolZ
• paiN
• 9z
• FURIA
• HEROIC
• Eternal Fire
• Rare Atom

The slots in IEM Rio 2024 were determined based on certain criteria, such as partnerships with ESL, ESL World Rankings, and regional qualifiers. 6 slots were allocated to teams with partnerships with ESL, 5 to teams who ranked highly in the ESL world rankings, and the last 5 lots were filled by teams that won their regional qualifiers.

IEM Rio Format & Matchups

The opening matchups for #IEM Rio are confirmed 🇧🇷

Who do you have making it through to the playoffs?! pic.twitter.com/TWism4IMPb

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 24, 2024

IEM Rio will retain the same format used in all ESL masters’ events, where 16 teams are split into two groups. The winners of the upper bracket are given direct entry into the playoff semifinals, while the losers face off against the winners of the lower bracket. Whoever wins will head into the quarterfinals, semis, then finals.

The first matches of IEM Rio will take place on the 7th of October and are:

Group A

• FaZe vs. FURIA
• Mouz vs. paIN
• Natus Vincere vs. Rare Atom
• Liquid vs. Complexity

Group B

• Vitality vs. 9z
• G2 vs. HEROIC
• Virtus.Pro vs. The MongolZ
• Eternal Fire vs. Astralis

The standout team in Group A is Natus Vincere, who are coming off a win at the ESL Pro League S20 and seem to be in incredible form. They face off against Rare Atom, who, although not making it to the competition through their world rankings, managed to top their regional qualifiers. This will be the first major for the Chinese team, so their matchup with NAVI seems like a harsh introduction to the highest level of esports. Other matchups in group A include FaZe vs. FURIA, who recently locked horns at PGL Copenhagen 2024, and Liquid Vs. Complexity, who met recently in Malta at the ESL Pro League Season 20.

Group B is equally stacked with highly competitive teams such as Eternal Fire, who made it to the ESL Pro League Season 20 but lost to NAVI, and Vitality, who won IEM Cologne 2024, but are looking to secure another tournament to improve their chances of running away with the Intel Grand Slam.

IEM Rio 2024 will commence on October 7th and finalize on October 13th, 2024.