IEM Rio 2026 team list finalized after grueling qualifiers
While it’s still a few months away, tournament organizer ESL wasted no time in announcing the direct invites to the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Rio 2026 event. Alongside the 13 direct invites come three teams, two from the Global Qualifier and one from the Americas qualifier. Here are the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) teams you’ll see compete in Rio de Janeiro.
All teams at IEM Rio 2026
Both the IEM Rio 2026 qualifiers turned out to be brutal affairs. In the Global Qualifier, it was HOTU and Gentle Mates who managed to make it through. HOTU beat BetBoom Team with a score of 2-0 in the Upper Bracket final match, while Gentle Mates beat BetBoom Team with a score of 2-1 (reverse-sweep) in the Lower Bracket Final.
In the Americas qualifier, with just one spot to fight for, it was RED Candis who emerged victorious, beating BESTIA 2-1 in the Grand Final. With the brutal qualifiers now complete, you can check out all the teams set to compete at IEM Rio 2026 listed below.
- Team Vitality
- Team Falcons
- FURIA
- Team Spirit
- NAVI
- MOUZ
- Aurora Gaming
- Passion UA
- B8
- Legacy
- Team Liquid
- G2 Esports
- 3DMAX
- HOTU
- Gengle Mates
- RED Candis
For those who don’t know, IEM Rio 2026 will run from 13 to 19 April 2026. Yes, that’s quite a long way off, but it’s always important to have the team list as soon as possible. If there are any team scheduling clashes, the tournament organizer has more time to replace and work out the logistics.
With that in mind, you should stay tuned to Esports Central. We’ll continue to bring you a bunch of CS2 esports content, from viewers’ guides to news, results, and sometimes even a highlights video for good measure.
Header image via ESL.
