Sixteen teams from across the globe made their way to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for a week-long showdown. Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2023 is a Masters level event featuring $250,000 in prize money and a direct invite to IEM Cologne 2023 for the winner.
As part of our event coverage, we provide you with full event info, match details and our own analysis of the matches & teams in attendance.
You can follow all the action at IEM Rio 2023 live on the official ESL Twitch channel and accompanying alternate streams.
Localized streams are available in several languages with co-streamers bringing you a unique viewership experience.
- ??: ESL CS:GO España
- ??: ESL CS:GO Poland
- ??: Telia Esports
- ??: EsportT1 TV
- ??: Arena Sport
- ??: GaulesTV
- ??: RootTheGamer
- ??: ViperDemon
- ??: Slop3
- ??: Maincast
Sixteen (16) teams made their way to Rio de Janeiro for the main event. Six teams are from the ESL Partner Teams, four teams qualified through the ESL World Rankings, and the remainder qualified through regional qualifiers or direct invites. Virtus.Pro originally qualified through the ESL World Rankings, but had to withdraw. In their stead, Imperial Esports was given a replacement invite.
The teams are initially divided into two Groups (A and B) and will play double-elimination format (GSL) groups.
IEM Rio 2023 promises plenty of exciting matchups of some of the best CS:GO teams, but some have missed out this time around. With Virtus.pro pulling out at the last minute, and G2, Liquid, and Astralis also not taking part, there’s plenty of talent missing here.
Virtus.pro pulled out last minute, and Imperial earned yet another Last Dance
There are two clear favorites in Group A – NAVI and Heroic. With NAVI back in form at the recent RMR, a favorable group should see them make the Playoffs with ease. Heroic are on the opposite side of the bracket, and it would be a major surprise if these teams weren’t part of the Upper Bracket Final.
MOUZ are another team to keep an eye on. They left the RMR in good form after sending FaZe Clan to the Last Chance Qualifier, and find themselves with some momentum going into Group A. There’s plenty of quality in that team, with Israeli talent xertioN one to watch for the future.
It’ll be interesting to see if Imperial can make a run during IEM Rio 2023. This is likely FalleN’s last chance to play in front of his home crowd, and the Brazilians will be out in force to show their appreciation for the man that can be credited with the massive growth of CS:GO in that region. He won’t want to let them down, and can really put on a show here.
Group A
- Heroic
- 9INE
- BIG
- MOUZ
- Imperial Esports
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- The MongolZ
- NAVI
Source: ESL
There are plenty of great storylines in play here. The first is FaZe Clan. Their RMR performance left the team emotionally exhausted, and although they pulled through the Last Chance Qualifier, there are still some question marks over their current form. While they’re a clear favorite for the group, an early loss would certainly make proceedings much more interesting.
The next team is FURIA. At IEM Rio Major 2022, FURIA massively benefitted from the Brazilian crowd cheering them on at every turn, making a strong Semi-Final run. The team hasn’t looked the same since, getting by on the individual brilliance of KSCERATO. Still, never count out a Brazilian roster with a home crowd.
Finally, there’s Cloud9. After the devastation of not qualifying for the final CS:GO Major, the team need to bounce back fast. With the impressive form of sh1ro pushing them on, we make Cloud9 one of the Group B favorites to quickly put their demons to bed, and make the Playoffs.
Group B
- FaZe Clan
- 9z Team
- FURIA Esports
- Fnatic
- Team Vitality
- OG
- MIBR
- Cloud9
Source: ESL
We have eight matches scheduled on opening day, and an additional two from the bracket stage. All bracket stage matches will conclude before Friday, April 21st.
Playoffs will play out Quarterfinal matches on Friday, Semifinals on Saturday and the Grand Final on Friday.
You can check back here daily for the exact match times.
We have an All-Star Cast & Analyst crew in Rio this year. You can expect to see all the usual suspects, and some new additions to the talent roster.
Source: ESL
Hosts & Analysts
Commentators
Arena Talent
We’ll be covering IEM Rio 2023 daily, with previews on the matchups to come as the tournament heats up.
Keep an eye on the Counter-Strike News over the next few days, and you’ll never miss a beat.
EN Global 
JP 日本語