Gentle Mates, RED Canids, and HOTU Qualify for IEM Rio 2026
Gentle Mates, RED Canids, and HOTU have punched their tickets to IEM Rio 2026, the upcoming Counter-Strike 2 event in Brazil, via closed qualifiers.
Gentle Mates and HOTU emerged from the intense global qualifier, while RED Canids dominated the South American one.
Qualifier Highlights
HOTU powered through the upper bracket, defeating Gentle Mates and 9INE before sweeping BetBoom Team 2-0 in the upper final. Standout performer David ‘n0rbe3r7’ Danielyan posted a 1.91 rating, including 25 kills on Dust2.
Gentle Mates clawed back via the lower bracket, overcoming Team Nemesis, Ursa, and 9INE. In the lower final against BetBoom, they split map picks before clinching Overpass in overtime for a 2-1 victory. Antonio ‘MartinezSa’ Martinez and Pere ‘sausol’ Solsona Saumell shone brightly.
RED Canids stormed the South American qualifier, beating Sharks Esports, Imperial Esports, and BESTIA twice. In the grand final rematch, they reverse-swept BESTIA 2-1 after dropping Nuke: wins on Ancient (13-6) and Inferno (13-7). Kaue ‘kauez’ Kaschuk was pivotal.
Notable early exits included Fnatic and BC.GAME.
Full IEM Rio 2026 Lineup
The 16 team roster is now set:
- Team Vitality (Invite)
- FURIA (Invite)
- Team Falcons (Invite)
- MOUZ (Invite)
- Team Spirit (Invite)
- NAVI (Invite)
- G2 Esports (Invite)
- Aurora Gaming (Invite)
- Team Liquid (Invite)
- 3DMAX (Invite)
- Passion UA (Invite)
- B8 (Invite)
- Legacy (Invite)
- Gentle Mates (Global Qualifier)
- HOTU (Global Qualifier)
- RED Canids (SA Qualifier)
Running April 13-19, 2026, the event offers $300,000 in prizes and crucial Valve Regional Standings (VRS) points toward the IEM Cologne Major in June.
Since: October 29, 2025
