CS2: IEM Rio returns for the third year in a row

_{Banner Image: ESL}

CS2 will reach Brazil later this year as the Intel Extreme Masters will be played in Rio de Janeiro for the third consecutive year, as announced by ESL's CS2 X account (formerly known as Twitter) earlier today.

The competition will take place in October, with the tournament starting on October 7 and finishing on October 15. The final stage of the competition will be played in the Farmasi Arena, a venue with a capacity of slightly over 15,000 people.

With 16 teams and a prize pool of $250,000, the IEM Rio 2024 promises to be one of the most exciting CS2 events on the calendar. Here's how the teams will be chosen to participate:

• Six ESL partnered teams
• One Local Hero Invite
• Four teams from the ESL World Ranking
• Two teams from a European Online Qualifier
• One team from a North American Online Qualifier
• One team from a South American Online Qualifier
• One team from an Asian Online Qualifier

The IEM Rio 2024 Group Stage will follow a double-elimination bracket. While the initial matches will be BO1s, the rest of the games will be BO3s. Finally, the best six teams will qualify for the Playoffs, a single-elimination bracket where all of the matches will be BO3s.

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