IEM Rio Group Stage Lineup and Schedule Announced

IEM Rio’s Group Stage Lineup and Timetable Set in Motion

With seven of the world’s top ten teams ready to compete in Brazil, the group stage lineup for IEM Rio has been unveiled, along with the event’s schedule. A total of 16 teams will vie for supremacy in two double-elimination groups, aiming to secure a portion of the $250,000 prize pool at the Jeunesse Arena.

Group A features Heroic, the event’s second-highest ranked team, who will kick off their campaign against 9INE, an up-and-coming Polish squad. This year, the Poles have been unstoppable, and fans are eager to see them face top-tier competition. Meanwhile, Ninjas in Pyjamas and Natus Vincere are on the other side of the bracket, setting up a potential showdown between Daniil “⁠headtr1ck⁠” Valitov and his former team.

In Group B, ESL Pro League champions FaZe occupy what many believe to be the less challenging half of the bracket. Their toughest potential opponent before the bracket finals is FURIA. Additionally, Vitality and Cloud9 have been assigned to Group B and are expected to clash in the second round of the group stage.

IEM Rio’s group stage will commence with best-of-one opening matches, transitioning to best-of-three for subsequent rounds. The top team in each group will proceed directly to the semi-finals, while the second and third place teams will advance to the quarter-finals. The IEM Rio grand final will be a best-of-five series.

Starting on April 17, the IEM Rio groups and opening matches are as follows:

Group A
Heroic (Denmark) vs 9INE (Poland) (18:15)
MOUZ (Europe) vs BIG (Germany) (18:15)

Virtus.pro (Russia) vs Ninjas in Pyjamas (Europe) (17:00)
Natus Vincere (Ukraine) vs TheMongolz (Mongolia) (17:00)

Group B
FaZe (Europe) vs 9z (South America) (20:45)
fnatic (Europe) vs FURIA (Brazil) (20:45)

Vitality (Europe) vs OG (Europe) (19:30)
Cloud9 (Russia) vs MIBR (Brazil) (19:30)