Strong CS2 player lineups land in Brazil – IEM Rio 2025 Group Stage Preview
The last IEM event of the year is upon us with the vast majority of Counter-Strike’s top teams in attendance at IEM Rio. We go over the favorites to lift the trophy in front of one of the most dedicated fanbases in the world. Remember to check out our CS2 betting preview below.
IEM Rio Group Stage Format
16 teams will be split into two eight-team groups, with three teams from each group advancing to the playoffs. The best CS2 team from each group will skip the quarter-final stage and begin their playoff journey in the semis.
The opening round of matches will be carried out in a BO1 format. The remainder of the games will be BO3, apart from the Sunday Grand Final, which will be, as usual, a BO5.
The winner of the tournament will be taking home the $100,000 main prize, coupled with a guaranteed spot at IEM Katowice 2025 – next year’s first marquee event.
NAVI are strong favorites in Group A
There’s no denying that the CS2 odds are in NAVI’s favor to come top of their group and win the whole tournament. They’ve been the most consistent and successful team in 2024, reaching six big event Grand Finals and winning three.
The two remaining playoff spots will be up for grabs for the rest of the competition, with MOUZ, FaZe, and Liquid most likely to lead the way. Each team has had its ups and downs, and depending on the day, any one of them could come out victorious.
MOUZ recently bombed out of ESL Pro League S20, suffering surprising defeats to Imperial and Complexity. The likes of Jimpphat and Brollan will have to get their act together and step up in Rio if they want to play in front of the Brazilian crowd.
FaZe have been out of form for a couple of months now, but they have shown some promising signs at the BLAST Fall Final, where broky looked to be back to his old self. Time will tell if it was just a flash in the pan or the turning point in their journey.
Since they made changes to their roster in the summer break, Liquid has comfortably been among the top 10 best CS2 teams in the world, competing with the very best on a regular basis. The only question mark is their level of performance on a big stage, which we have yet to see a lot of.
All the other four teams in Group A have an outside chance of upsetting the favorites and making the playoffs, with the most likely candidates being Complexity and FURIA. It would be great to see the Brazilians on the stage on home soil.
Group A teams:
- NAVI
- MOUZ
- FaZe
- Liquid
- Complexity
- paiN
- FURIA
- Imperial
Vitality and G2 lead the field in Group B
Apart from the two main favorites, Vitality, and G2, it’s very difficult to predict which team will make it to the playoffs. Both have shown the capability to win big events and are lock-ins to make it through to the next stage of the competition
The most likely team to join them in the playoffs is probably Eternal Fire. The Turks almost took down NAVI in the ESL Pro League S20 Grand Final, proving to the fans that they are the ones to watch at this point in the season.
The new-look Astralis with cadiaN at the helm will try to get some wins under their belt, following their disastrous debut at the BLAST Fall Final. It won’t be easy, given that they are facing Eternal Fire in their opening game.
Teams like Virtus.pro, TheMongolz, and 9z hope to rekindle some of the good form they’ve shown earlier in the year, while Heroic players try to show that they deserve a spot on the lineup, even if they fail to make it through with their current roster.
Group B teams:
- G2
- Vitality
- Eternal Fire
- Virtus.pro
- TheMongolz
- Heroic
- Astralis
- 9z
