Esports News
Last updated: April 24, 2023 (added complete results).
Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) tournaments are the ultimate battleground for the top CS:GO teams from around the world as they compete for, not just the championship title, but also the huge prize pool at the end of the rainbow that gets bigger and better each year.
IEM Rio 2023 is the next exciting event on the calendar, hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the Jeunesse Arena. Events kick off on April 17 for a short bout of action-packed matches in the group stage, concluding with the Grand Final on April 23.
IEM Rio 2023 also contributes towards the Intel Grand Slam, a sum of $1m awarded to the first ESL team that wins four ESL-organized "S-tier" events within ten consecutive events.
Here's everything CS:GO fans need to know about the IEM Rio 2023 tournament, including the competition's format, all 16 teams competing, and where to watch.
The exciting events of IEM Rio 2023 will commence on April 17, beginning with the Group stage. There will be two groups in a double-elimination format, with eight teams in each. Opening games are played as best-of-one matches, and all subsequent matches are best-of-three.
The top three teams from each group will advance to the Playoffs. Group Stage winners will go to the Semifinals. The runner-ups in second will qualify for the Quarter Finals as the High seeds in the Upper Bracket, while the 3rd-place teams will be the Low-seeds.
The playoffs will feature a single elimination bracket. The Quarterfinals and Semifinals will be best-of-three. The Grand Final will be played as a best-of-five on April 23.
The prize pool for IEM Rio 2023 is a whopping $250,000 USD in total. The team that takes home the lion's share of the money ($100,000) will also automatically qualify for IEM Cologne 2023 in August this year.
IEM Rio 2023 will commence with the group stage on April 17 - it's set to be an exhilarating few days with everything to play for! The 16 elite teams competing were decided through the Intel Extreme Masters Road to Rio through the closed and open qualifier.
Here is how the teams are looking, divided into Groups A and B.
Group A is home to IEM Rio 2022 runners-up, Heroic. The winners of last year's tournament Virtus.pro were invited but withdrew days before the tournament began; they have been replaced by Imperial Esports.
FaZe Clan are the stand-out team in Group B, who are still running hot from their victory at ESL Pro League Season 17. They were awarded the Intel Grand Slam IV and will definitely want to keep their winning streak rolling.
Below is the match schedule for IEM Rio 2023 - all times listed are in BST. Tickets for the event hosted at Jeunesse Arena can be purchased here.
Last year's ESL Rio Major tournament was the most watched CS:GO IEM event in history, with over 1.4m viewers; will this year's event reach the same heights?
All IEM Rio 2023 matches will be broadcast live on the official ESL CS:GO Twitch channels and YouTube, with primary and secondary streams available simultaneously to cover all the proceedings.
We have embedded the primary English YouTube channel below. There are also streams available in Spanish.
The arena experience throughout the IEM Rio will be unlike any other! There will be premium signing sessions available for fans lucky enough to watch the events unfold in person, with open signing sessions available with FURIA and other teams, so keep an eye out!
Who will get the next title for IEM? Stay tuned with Rivalry to find out, as we will keep this article updated daily with the current standings and match results.
Want more CS:GO news? We've got the latest details on the changes coming to CS2 this summer, including the new smoke grenades and the tick-rate system.