In Rio, one of the important tournaments for the CS:GO world in 2023, the IEM Rio 2023, is taking place. It started on April 17 and will last until April 23.

Today, we will look at the first day of the competition and discuss what IEM 2023 is in general.

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What is the IEM Rio 2023?

What is this tournament? The Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) tournament series began in 2008. Its 18 season consists of three tournaments: IEM Rio 2023, IEM Dallas 2023, and IEM Cologne 2023.

IEM Rio 2023: Format

Sixteen teams are taking part in the tournament, and they are competing using a fairly simple system. Firstly, two groups were formed in a Double Elimination format, with eight teams each. Then, the three best teams from each group moved on to the Playoff Stage. The tournament prize pool is $250,000, and the winner will receive $100,000 and a ticket to IEM Cologne 2023.

Group Stage А: Overview & Results

Sixteen teams were divided into two groups, with eight in each group. The teams in Group A competed based on their seeding:

• Heroic
• 9INE
• BIG
• MOUZ
• Imperial Esports
• Ninjas in Pyjamas
• The MongolZ
• Natus Vincere

Let’s go through each team separately, starting with the Ukrainian team.

Natus Vincere

NAVI’s first match was against MongolZ. They played a single game on Mirage, and NAVI won with a 16:9 score.

Their next opponent was Ninjas in Pyjamas. They played a Best-of-3 series, and NAVI emerged victorious with a 2-0 score. NAVI won 16:10 on Mirage and 16:13 on Ancient.

BIG

BIG played their first match against MOUZ on Overpass and won with a score of 16:6. Then, they played against Heroic in a Best-of-3 format. Although they lost the first map, they managed to win the next two maps with scores of 16:11 on Nuke and 16:6 on Overpass after pulling themselves together. However, they lost 14:16 on Vertigo.

Heroic

Heroic won their first match against 9INE on Ancient with a 16:12 score. But in the next match, they played against BIG and lost 2-1. They lost on Vertigo 14:16 but won on Nuke 16:11 and Overpass with a 16:6 score.

Ninjas in Pyjamas

Ninjas in Pyjamas easily won their match against Imperial on Mirage with a 16:5 score. But in their next match against Natus Vincere, NiP lost 2-0. NAVI won on Mirage with a 16:10 score and Ancient with a 16:13 score.

MongolZ

MongolZ lost their first match against NAVI on Mirage with a 16:9 score. But they beat Imperial 2-1 after moving to the lower bracket. After that, they lost on Overpass 16:3 but won on Inferno 16:12 and on Mirage 16:14.

9INE

After losing to Heroic, 9INE’s next match was a Best-of-3 against MOUZ. They secured a victory with a score of 2-1. They won on Vertigo 16:11, lost on Ancient 16:9, and beat on Nuke with a 16:10 score.

MOUZ 

MOUZ couldn’t secure a victory against their first opponent, BIG. After moving to the lower bracket, they lost to 9INE.

Imperial Esports

Imperial is another team that failed to win their first match. They lost to NiP and then faced MongolZ, losing 2-1.

The tournament’s favorites immediately appeared on the first day of the competition. In Group A, these were NAVI and BIG, each with two victories, guaranteeing their place in the Play-off. However, Imperial and MOUZ were less fortunate, losing twice and being eliminated from the tournament.

THE FIRST TEAM IN THE #IEM RIO 2023 PLAYOFFS! @natusvincere have GUARANTEED their spot in front of the Brazilian crowd! 👏@npllcs@b1tcs@perfectocsgo @electronicCSGO @s1mpleO @Navi_B1ad3 pic.twitter.com/pwKix3BghO

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 17, 2023

THE SECOND TEAM TO MAKE IT TO THE #IEM RIO 2023 PLAYOFFS! 🇩🇪🇧🇷@BIGCLANgg 🥳

See you on stage in the Jeunesse arena! 🏟️@k1tocs @favenCS @tabseNcs @hyped_cs@KrimboCS @gobelante pic.twitter.com/fAvpyZ7nh9

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 18, 2023

Turning our attention to Group B, let’s discuss what occurred.

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Group Stage B: Overview & Results

Just like in Group A, eight teams are competing against each other in Group B. On the first day, the teams in Group B played one match each, and we will focus on those matches.

FaZe Clan vs 9z Team

The teams played on Overpass. FaZe left no chance for the 9z Team and beat them 16:3.

Here is the highlight of the map.

FURIA Esports vs Fnatic

The teams played a match on Ancient and tied at 15:15. Then they started a series of overtime rounds. FURIA Esports managed to win four rounds in a row and ultimately defeated Fnatic with a final 19:15 score.

Here is the highlight of the map.

Vitality vs OG

The French and Danish teams played against each other on Overpass and tied at 15:15. Then they started a series of overtime rounds. OG took the lead over Vitality and eventually emerged victorious with a 19:17 score.

Here is the highlight of the map.

MIBR vs Cloud9

And the last match on the first day of IEM Rio was between Cloud9 and MIBR, in which Cloud9 won on Ancient with a 16:8 score.

Here is the highlight of the map.

The first day of Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2023 has concluded. This is all the available information so far.

That's all for the first day of #IEM Rio 2023! 🇧🇷

Take a look at the bracket below and let us know who you think it joining @natusvincere and @BIGCLANgg on the Jeunesse arena stage! 👇 pic.twitter.com/AZCEQ7zyA1

— Intel® Extreme Masters (@IEM) April 18, 2023

To Wrap Up

The tournament will continue until April 23. While some may underestimate its significance, the Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2023 marks the beginning of a new season of the Intel Grand Slam in CS2, which holds considerable value for professional teams.

So cheer for your favorite team, and follow our blog for all eSports events!