The competition will feature the highest-ranked Virtual Reality Sports teams from both American and international qualifying events.
The news of Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2026 (IEM Rio 2026) was met with excitement from the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) community. Brazil is known for hosting incredible esports events, and fans there are incredibly enthusiastic about CS2.
ESL FACEIT Group recently announced the teams that will compete in IEM Rio 2026. The tournament is scheduled to take place from April 13th to April 19th.
Counter-Strike 2 teams at Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2026
The image displays the teams invited to the CS2 IEM Rio 2026 esports tournament. It shows both teams automatically qualified for the main event and those competing in qualifying rounds.
One team from the American qualifier
Initially, four teams were invited to a private qualifying tournament in America. An additional four teams earned their spots through an open qualifier. Ultimately, only one of these eight teams will advance to the IEM Rio 2026 event.
| Invited to the American qualifier | Team from the open qualifier |
|---|---|
| Imperial Esports | ShindeN |
| Fluxo W7M | ODDIK |
| BESTIA | 9z Team |
| Sharks Esports | RED Canids |
The American qualifying rounds for the 2025 Intel Extreme Masters will take place from January 21st to 23rd. The tournament will use a double-elimination bracket system.
Two teams from the global qualifier
Twelve teams have been invited to compete in the Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2026 qualifier, alongside four teams who earned their place through open qualifying rounds. These teams will fight for just two spots in the main tournament.
| Invites | Invites | Invites | Open qualifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| PARIVISION | GamerLegion | Fnatic | Sangal Esports |
| HEROIC | BetBoom Team | EYEBALLERS | BIG Academy |
| FUT Esports | Gentle Mates | K27 | Nuclear TigeRES |
| BC.Game Esports | HOTU | 9INE | Team Nemesis |
This worldwide qualifier will follow the same schedule and format as the American one: a double-elimination bracket running from January 21st to 23rd.
Direct invites to CS2 IEM Rio 2026: The favorites
The teams directly invited to IEM Rio 2026 were determined by their rankings from VRS Global in January 2026. As a result, the invited teams are largely the same ones competing at IEM Krakow 2025.
FURIA got their invite from VRS South America, and Passion UA advanced from VRS North America.
| FURIAAurora Gaming | Passion UAB8 | Team VitalityLegacy | Team FalconsG2 Esports | Team SpiritTeam Liquid | Natus Vincere3DMAX | MOUZ |
The 2026 Counter-Strike 2 esports season is a brand new competitive experience. Several major tournaments, starting with IEM Rio 2026, will give us a clear picture of which teams are currently the strongest in the world.
The biggest favorites of the season start are those who performed the best at the end of 2025.
- Team Vitality won the Budapest Major, claiming two such victories in 2025.
- FURIA had a phenomenal second half of the year. Their wins include IEM Chengdu 2025. This team is the crowd favorites in Rio de Janeiro!
- MOUZ, Team Spirit, and Team Falcons can reach the top this time. They are among the top picks on the best esports betting sites.
Many considered NAVI a strong contender, but their recent loss to Monte in the qualifying round for BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 significantly lowers their chances.
Before the major tournament in Rio, several other large Counter-Strike 2 esports events are scheduled. IEM Krakow 2026 will take place from January 28th to February 8th, and BLAST Open Spring 2026 will run from March 18th to March 29th, culminating in playoffs held in Rotterdam.
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2026-01-19 12:12