All eight teams confirmed for the Champions Stage of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major

Fans visiting the event in Rio de Janeiro can look forward to esports’ first fan festival

Cologne/New York – The Intel® Extreme Masters (IEM) Rio Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Major Championship is well underway as the top eight teams in the world are getting ready to compete in the Champions Stage at the sold-out Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

The IEM Rio Major

Since October 31, 24 of the world’s best CS:GO teams have battled it out in a full, hyped-up Riocentro during the Challengers Stage and the Legends Stage. The tournament kicked off with four intense days as 16 teams made their way through a Swiss bracket, with the top eight proceeding to the next stage of the competition. 

While doing so, the teams could count on a lot of support from fans from Brazil and beyond, as the Challengers Stage of the IEM Rio Major became the most-watched Challengers Stage in the history of CS:GO Majors. The match between Team Vitality and Imperial Sportsbet broke the record with almost 700,000 peak concurrent viewers.*

This support continued during the four-day-long Legends Stage, with over 1,000,000 viewers tuning in on its first day.* Backed by this global support and encouraged by the passionate fans on-site, it is eventually the Brazilian fan-favorite FURIA, together with Cloud9, Fnatic, Heroic, MOUZ, Natus Vincere, Outsider, and Team Spirit, that proceed to the Champions Stage of the competition.

Now, these eight teams are preparing themselves for the final stage of one of the biggest esports events so far. Battling it out for a considerable share of the $1,250,000 total prize pool, the coveted title of South America’s very first CS:GO major, and a win in the race to Intel® Grand Slam IV, the teams can continue to count on the incredible support from the fans at the sold-out Jeunesse Arena.

Moreover, before the Grand Final kicks off on Sunday, November 13, fans can look forward to an exciting showmatch between: 

• Team Brazil: Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, Epitácio “TACO” de Melo, Marcelo “coldzera” David, Fernando “fer” Alvarenga, and Lincoln “fnx” Lau; and 
• Team Sweden: Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer Gustafsson, Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg, Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund, Adam “friberg” Friberg, and Jesper “JW” Wecksell.

The IEM Fan Fest ft. Gaules

That’s not all, as the fans visiting the CS:GO Major Made of Madness in Rio de Janeiro can also look forward to esports’ very first fan festival. The IEM Fan Fest features the famous Brazilian streamer Alexandre “Gaules” Borba, who will bring together the best of the Brazilian culture and gaming community for an event like no other. The IEM Fan Fest includes:

• Intel® Gaming Experience: At the official Intel® booth, fans can try out the latest games and the newest hardware.
• DHL Case Opening Madness: Delivered by DHL, fans have the opportunity to open CS:GO cases and win amazing skins.
• Monster Energy Extreme Challenge & Monster Energy Lounge: At the Monster Energy Extreme Challenge, performers will show off their skills on their skateboards, while fans can also grab a free drink at the Monster Energy Lounge.
• Legion by Lenovo VR Area: At the Lenovo booth, fans are able to immerse themselves in the world of Virtual Reality and to experience the world of gaming at a whole new level.
• 1xBet Booth: At the 1xBet booth, fans can compete for prizes, participate in 1v1 challenges and art sections, meet some of their favorite players, and more.

Furthermore, at the official booths of Furia, Imperial Sportsbet, Team Liquid, and Team Vitality, fans have the opportunity to get to know some of the biggest esports organizations around, meet their favorite players and fellow fans, compete in activities, play games, win prizes and much more.

Fans of the Brazilian legend Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo also have the chance to get exclusive merch at the FalleN Store, while the ESL Shop offers a wide variety of esports merch, including team products and ESL Collectibles. Finally, for those looking for a bite or something to drink, the IEM Fan Fest offers several options at the Food Trucks.

Head over to the official website for more information about the IEM Rio CS:GO Major Championship, and follow ESL CS on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

For more general information, head to eslfaceitgroup.com or follow ESL FACEIT Group and ESL on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

*According to Escharts.com 

***

About EFG

The ESL FACEIT Group is the leading competitive games and esports company. At EFG we create worlds beyond gameplay where players and fans become community. The company is built on the great legacy of the world-renowned ESL, FACEIT, DreamHack and DreamHack Sports Games brands. We harness this legacy to further innovate and develop the esports and gaming landscape worldwide. Working with our developer, publisher, brand, and media partners, we deliver products and experiences that accelerate gaming culture and make gamer communities come together. Join us on the journey as we help gaming communities thrive by creating worlds beyond gameplay that unite players, fans, and creators around the esports and games they love.

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.

###