Is the Jeunesse Arena the best forum for e-sports in the world? Over the next week, 18,000 roaring CS:GO fans will certainly make a strong case for the fact that it is. With the prestigious IEM Rio tournament returning on the 17th of April this year, there is plenty for CS:GO fans to be excited about. Qualification for IEM Cologne 2023 is on the line, with plenty of local favorites on the show and a very competitive field on offer, making this one of the most exciting CS:GO events of the season.
Esports behemoth FaZe Clan will be eager to continue their hot streak and secure yet another tournament win here after a predicted win at ELS Pro League S17. However, they’ll have strong competition from the likes of FURIA and Natus Vincere, who have also been in good form this year, alongside Cloud9 and Heroic, who are constant threats. Who will pick up the biggest tournament of the year so far? Read on for our 2023 IEM Rio predictions.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | IEM Rio 2023, CS:GO |
| 🏟️ Venue: | Jeunesse Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| 🗓️ Dates: | Monday, 17 April to Sunday, 23 April |
Think you know how this tournament is going to pan out, and don’t think you need any of our CS:GO IEM Rio betting tips? Then there are the latest odds from bookmakers in Brazil, so you can go bet on CS:GO immediately:
Looking at the odds of winning IEM Rio 2023, it’s a neck-and-neck battle at the top end of the bookies’ odds. FaZe Clan, Heroic, Cloud9, and Natus Vincere are all tight, with FaZe holding the slight edge in the outright betting odds at 4.00 (3/1). Heroic and Cloud9 are right behind the favorites at 5.00 (4/1) before Natus Vincere is a step off the pace at 6.00 (5/1). Rounding out the top five in the betting odds is Team Vitality on 9.00 (8/1), who benefit from the withdrawal of Virtus.pro last minute.
This will be just the second time an Intel Extreme Masters tournament has been played in Rio de Janeiro. The first event was planned for 2021 and then canceled due to Covid-19 restrictions. However, the latest Major did take place last year for the first time, to great success.
Incredible crowds were seen across the week’s action at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, with local teams whipping the home fans into a frenzy. The end result was a hard-fought final between Outsiders and Heroic, with Outsiders winning. Now, less than six months ago, the tournament returns.
The IEM Rio will follow one of the traditional competitive formats, with 16 teams competing for prize money of $250,000. Teams will be split into two groups, and here’s a look at the makeup of this year’s tournament:
| Team | Path to IEM | Group |
|---|---|---|
| FaZe Clan | ESL partner | B |
| Fnatic | ESL partner | B |
| MOUZ | ESL partner | A |
| Natus Vincere | ESL partner | A |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas | ESL partner | A |
| Team Vitality | ESL partner | B |
| FURIA Esports | Invited | B |
| Heroic | ESL world ranking | A |
| Cloud9 | ESL world ranking | B |
| OG | ESL world ranking | B |
| 9INE | European qualifier | A |
| BIG | European qualifier | A |
| MIBR | North American qualifier | B |
| 9z Team | South American qualifier | B |
| TheMongolz | Asian qualifier | A |
| Imperial | Replacement invite | A |
With their two groups, players will compete in a double-elimination bracket. This will initially see best-of-one games played, then best-of-three matches after the first round. Following the Group Stage of play, the top three teams move through into the Playoffs. Each winner goes straight to the semifinals, while the next two ranked teams will compete in the quarterfinals.
Playoff matches will all be best of three, except for the Grand Final, which will be played as a best-of-five match on the 23rd of April 2023.
With CS:GO experiencing one of the most exciting, competitive eras in history, there are plenty of options for fans who want to bet on CS:GO. Here’s a look at our best wagers in this IEM Rio 2023 betting preview:
The bookies have FaZe Clan as favorites heading into IEM Rio 2023 and for a good reason. This year, three S-tier tournaments have taken place in the CS:GO calendar: ESL Pro League Season 17, IEM Katowice, and BLAST Premier Spring Groups. Of these three big events, FaZe have walked away victorious twice, making them by far the most dominant team this year. Add to that the fact that they won four big tournaments in 2022 and made a handful of other finals, and it’s clear that FaZe are the best bet to win here, purely based on their track record.
FaZe also have a relatively soft pool, avoiding two of the next three favored teams in the betting odds. Their biggest challenge will come from Cloud9, who is drawn into their pool. With Finn “karrigan” Andersen playing well, FaZe should be able to make a deep run in this tournament. Much of their recent success has come off the back of his leadership, which only seems to be improving from event to event. Still, they should be picked thoroughly after their Intel Grand Slam victory, as the motivation to fight for $100,000 after winning a million can be in doubt.
While we say that FaZe have the best shot of winning this, there is one important dynamic in the mix next week: Qualification for IEM Cologne. Only one team can qualify, and FaZe have already earned their ticket there. Could a team such as Heroic be hungrier and beat them there? We think this motivation should be at least enough to get Heroic through to the finals.
The team have been in fine form recently. They made the finals of the IEM Katowice, only narrowly losing to a sharp G2 Esports team. Last year, they won the BLAST Premier Fall Finals, defeating FaZe impressively. Add to that the fact that last time CS:GO was present in Rio de Janeiro, Heroic also made a final, and it’s easy to see that feat being repeated this time next week at the IEM Rio 2023.
There will be plenty of excellent matches going down in Rio next week, and one of them could occur in the very first round. In Group B, FURIA and Fnatic meet in a battle of two in-form teams. Neither are favorites to win the IEM Rio 2023; however, they came in off the back of strong performances earlier this month. FURIA won the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023: American RMR, defeating paiN, while Fnatic also earned their ticket to the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, finishing 3-0 at European RMR A.
This will be a very competitive match; hence the high odds being paid for the winner. We say that FURIA will have enough to beat Fnatic here and is the best bet in the opening round at the IEM Rio 2023. Add the crazy Brazilian crowd supporting their compatriots, and the odds for FURIA look really underrated. There is some danger for the Bo1 matchup, but it can be too late to earn something even during the live betting out when the game starts.
Here are our top 2023 IEM Rio predictions for this week’s tournament:
There’s something about South America and Rio de Janeiro that brings out the best of Esports fans. Over the next week, expect plenty of beer, face painting, and raucous celebrations as the best of the best in CS:GO go head to head in Rio de Janeiro at IEM Rio 2023. It’ll be competitive, but we say that FaZe will pick up yet another title here and continue their fine form in 2023.
