IEM Rio CS:GO Major: How to watch, format, team list, schedule

The IEM Rio Major, the first Valve-sponsored CS:GO tournament held in Brazil, will run from Oct. 31 to Nov. 13, featuring some of the best Counter-Strike teams in the world.

The IEM Rio Major will kick off with the Challengers Stage, in which eight Challengers and eight Contenders will fight for eight spots in the Legends Stage, in which teams that secured Legends status in the Regional Major Ranking (RMR) will be waiting. The top eight teams of the Legends Stage will make it into the Champions Stage, the tournament’s single-elimination playoff bracket.

Here is everything you need to know to follow the IEM Rio Major and enjoy top-tier CS:GO action.

IEM Rio CS:GO Major: How to watch, format, team list, schedule

How to watch the IEM Rio Major

IEM Rio Major will be broadcast on ESL’s Twitch channel. There will be an official secondary stream for simultaneous matches. Any person is free to broadcast the CS:GO Majors as long as they follow the guidelines established by Valve and the tournament organizer in charge, so the competition will be broadcasted in several different languages by a vast number of content creators, including big names like Gaules and kennyS.

IEM Rio Major’s format

IEM Rio Major will use a 16-team Swiss system for both the Challengers and Legends Stages. In this system, teams who win three matches advance to the next stage of the tournament, and teams who lose three are eliminated from the event. The elimination and advancement matches will be played as best-of-threes, while the other matches (0-0 pool, 1-0 pool, 0-1 pool, and 1-1 pool) are all best-of-ones.

The Challengers Stage of IEM Rio Major will run from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 and only half of the 16 teams will progress to the Legends Stage and face the top eight seeded teams of the IEM Rio Major. The Legends Stage will be played from Nov. 5 to 8 and the best eight teams will advance to the Champions Stage, which is a single-elimination playoff bracket taking place from Nov. 10 to 13.

All stages of the IEM Rio Major will be played in a front of a live audience. The Challengers Stage and Legends Stage action will take place at the Riocentro venue, while the Champions Stage will be played at the Jeunesse Arena.

IEM Rio Major is offering a $1.25 million prize pool. The winner will earn $500,000 plus spots at IEM Katowice 2023 and at BLAST Premier World Final 2022, while the runners-up will take home $170,000.

Teams that will start IEM Rio Major in Challengers Stage

• Vitality
• Cloud9
• OG
• Outsiders
• FURIA
• Fnatic
• MOUZ
• Evil Geniuses
• BIG
• Imperial
• 00 Nation
• Bad News Eagles
• 9z
• GamerLegion
• IHC
• Grayhound

Teams waiting in IEM Rio Major’s Legends Stage

• FaZe Clan
• Natus Vincere
• Team Liquid
• Heroic
• Ninjas in Pyjamas
• ENCE
• Team Spirit
• Sprout

IEM Rio Major schedule

The tournament will begin with the Challengers Stage from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3. Half of the 16 teams in there will proceed to the Legends Stage, in which the eight remaining teams will be waiting. The Legends Stage will be played from Oct. 5 to 8, and the top eight teams of the IEM Rio Major will then play in the Champions Stage, a single-elimination bracket, from Nov. 10 to 13.

The complete schedule for IEM Rio Major can be found here.