The list of teams qualified for the Intel® Extreme Masters Rio CS:GO Major Championship was finalized on Sunday with the conclusion of IEM Road to Rio

PRESS RELEASE SUMMARY – 24 teams have qualified for the IEM Rio 2022 CS:GO Major – The Major has a $1.25 million prize pool – Teams qualified from Europe: Bad News Eagles, BIG, Cloud9, ENCE, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, GamerLegion, Heroic, MOUZ, Natus Vincere, Ninjas in Pyjamas, OG, Outsiders, Sprout, Team Spirit, Team Vitality – Teams qualified from the Americas: 00Nation, 9z Team, Evil Geniuses, FURIA, Imperia Esports, Team Liquid – Teams qualified from Asia: IHC Esports, Grayhound Gaming – The IEM Rio 2022 CS:GO Major starts on October 31. Full schedule further down.

Cologne/New York/Sao Paulo – All 24 teams competing in the upcoming Intel® Extreme Masters (IEM) Rio Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Major Championship are set. IEM Rio 2022 boasts a $1,250,000 prize pool and is held between October 31 and November 13 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Each of the 24 teams successfully made their way through IEM Road To Rio, the official qualifying competition of the IEM Rio 2022 Major, held at locations in Sweden, Malta, and Australia. As a result, the teams can now pack their bags as they are heading to Brazil for 12 days of competition, divided into three stages: Challengers, Legends, and Champions Stage.

IEM Road to Rio featured a number of teams that had received a direct invite based on their regional ranking. They were then joined by teams qualifying for IEM Road to Rio through open qualifiers, which started in August. In total, 52 teams had the chance to compete for a spot in the Major during last week’s IEM Road to Rio competitions.

The CS:GO Major itself consists of three stages, each its own format. During the first phase, the Challengers Stage will host 16 teams qualifying via IEM Road to Rio (the RMR series) to enter a Swiss bracket and face off in a best-of-one format for opening rounds. The elimination and advancement matches will be played out as best-of-three, with the top eight teams proceeding to the Legends Stage. Here, these teams are joined by eight other teams coming through IEM Road to Rio while playing a similar format to the previous stage. The eight best teams in the Legends Stage will qualify for the Champions, which will be played out in a single-elimination playoff bracket and allow the best team to eventually claim the coveted title.

All the qualified teams for the IEM Rio 2022:

IEM Road to Rio – Americas:

00Nation, 9z Team, Evil Geniuses, FURIA, Imperial Esports, Team Liquid

IEM Road to Rio – Europe:

Bad News Eagles, BIG, Cloud9, ENCE, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, GamerLegion, Heroic, MOUZ, Natus Vincere, Ninjas in Pyjamas, OG, Outsiders, Sprout, Team Spirit, Team Vitality

IEM Road to Rio – Asia:

IHC Esports, Grayhound Gaming

IEM Rio CS:GO Major Championship Schedule:

During the main stages, matches will start at 11 am, and there might be up to eight matches per day, according to the respective phase. Check below the official schedule (all times presented in BRT):

CHALLENGERS STAGE

Monday, October 31

– Round 1 (BO1): 11 am, 12:15 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:45 pm

– Round 2 (BO1): 5 pm, 6:15 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:45 pm

Tuesday, November 1

– Round 3: 11 am (BO1), 12:15 pm (BO1), 1:30 pm (BO3), 5 pm (BO3)

Wednesday, November 2

– Round 4 (BO3): 11 am, 2:30 pm, 6 pm

Thursday, November 3

– Round 5 (BO3): 11 am, 2:30 pm, 6 pm

LEGENDS STAGE

Saturday, November 5

– Round 1 (BO1): 11 am, 12:15 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:45 pm

– Round 2 (BO1): 5 pm, 6:15 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:45 pm

Sunday, November 6

– Round 3: 11 am (BO1), 12:15 pm (BO1), 1:30 pm (BO3), 5 pm (BO3)

Monday, November 7

– Round 4 (BO3): 11 am, 2:30 pm, 6 pm

Tuesday, November 8

– Round 5 (BO3): 11 am, 2:30 pm, 6 pm

CHAMPIONS STAGE

Thursday, November 10

– Quarter-final (BO3): 2 pm, 5:30 pm

Friday, November 11

– Quarter-final (BO3): 2 pm, 5:30 pm

Saturday, November 12

– Semifinals (BO3): 2 pm, 5:30 pm

Sunday, November 13

– Grand Final (BO3): 3 pm

* The schedule is subject to change according to the needs of the championship organization.

AUDIENCE PRESENT AT ALL STAGES

IEM Rio 2022 will host a live audience during all three stages of the CS:GO Major. Fans purchased tickets in advance and will be able to follow the Challengers and the Legends Stage at Riocentro. The Champions Stage, the final phase, will take place at Jeunesse Arena, also in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro. And, to get even more CS:GO fans, ESL FACEIT Group organized a Fan Fest outside the venue led by the streamer Gaules, who will broadcast the matches on a big screen during the first-of-its-kind outdoor viewing party. In total, over 100,000 people are expected during the 12 days.

VENUES

Challengers and Legends Stages

Riocentro Convention & Event Center 

Avenida Salvador Allende, 6555

Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, RJ

CEP: 22783-127

Champions Stage and IEM Fan Fest ft. Gaules

Jeunesse Arena

Avenida Embaixador Abelardo Bueno, 3401

Barra da Tijuca – Rio de Janeiro, RJ

CEP: 22.775-040

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About ESL

ESL creates a world where everybody can be somebody. For more than two decades, we have been shaping the industry and leading esports and gaming innovation globally across the most popular video games, creating a comprehensive ecosystem with opportunities for players to go from zero to hero and for fans to witness the best stories esports has to offer. The ESL portfolio consists of high-profile products such as the ESL Pro Tour, Intel® Extreme Masters, the Snapdragon Pro Series, and many more, ranging from grassroots to global elite competitions. ESL is part of ESL FACEIT Group, the leading competitive games and esports company.

About Intel® Extreme Masters 

Intel® Extreme Masters is the longest-running global professional esports tournament circuit in the world. Started in 2006 by Intel and ESL, the competition has now traveled to over 30 cities around the globe and conducted tournaments for 11 different competitive gaming titles. Esports fans from more than 180 countries regularly make IEM events record-breakers in terms of stadium attendance and viewership, with the tournament’s inaugural event in Australia in May 2017 marking the fifth continent for the global competitive circuit. Throughout more than 75 IEM events, over US $11 million in prize money has been awarded to some of the world’s top esports talent (www.intelextrememasters.com).

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