IEM will return to Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from April 17 to 21 to host another world-class CS:GO tournament. ESL revealed months ago that it planned to host a tournament in Brazil again due to the success of the IEM Rio Major in November 2022, but the tournament organizer had kept the city and arena under secret until today.
Sixteen of some of the best CS:GO teams in the world such as FaZe Clan, Natus Vincere, Vitality, and Heroic will play at IEM Rio 2023, which has a $250,000 prize pool, and grants an Intel Grand Slam win to the champion plus a spot at the $1 million IEM Cologne between July and August. There are only two IEM Rio spots up for grabs, which will be fulfilled by the North American and South America qualifiers.
The top six teams of IEM Rio will qualify for the playoffs stage (April 21 to 23) and play in front of the crowd at the Jeunesse Arena, where they’ll witness the “unrivaled atmosphere” the world saw during IEM Rio Major in 2022, according to ESL.
“Last year during the IEM Rio Major, the Brazilian crowd demonstrated such an enormous
enthusiasm and passion as we have never before witnessed in esports,” ESL’s senior director of game ecosystems Shaun Clark said in a press release. “When we announced that we’d be returning to Brazil, we could already count on a lot of excitement from the community.IEM Rio 2023 is set for an intimate atmosphere and countless memorable moments. We can’t wait to enter the Jeunesse Arena again this year and do more in, and for, the region in the future.”
ESL will start selling tickets for IEM Rio on March 6 at 9am CT. This will be the last tier-one tournament before BLAST Paris Major in May.
