IEM Rio 2024 Preview: Facts, Odds and Predictions at MelBet

As most Counter-Strike fans know, one of the most exciting tournaments in the e-sports world is due to return in October. A fantastic Intel Extreme Masters held in Farmasi Arena in the busy and lively Rio de Janeiro promises:

• thrilling action;
• vigorous head-to-head competition among the best CS2 teams on the planet;
• and many chances to see a match of a lifetime!

This will be the third annual CS Rio tournament held in Brazil, and if the previous results are an indicator, we’re about to witness an astonishing spectacle yet again. The stakes are high: winners of ESL Rio receive a guaranteed place at another IEM competition in Katowice and an astonishing prize of $100.000, while other teams will share another $150.000 among themselves, depending on their eventual position in the tournament grid. However, everything happening in the background of this major competition is even more exciting for some fans. Depending on whether you are ready to put your e-sports prediction skills to the test, any participant in MelBet’s Pick’em Contest can win astonishing prizes that, depending on your stakes, can be compared with what the first-place winner will earn with their skilled play! In this article, we will analyze the participating teams, weigh in on their chances of winning the tournament, lend you some advice on how to succeed in predicting the winner of the IEM Rio 2024 competition, and answer the most common questions fans have about the tournament and our service.

Top Teams Coming to Participate in This Year’s CS GO Rio Contest

The greatest CS2 and CSGO teams in the world are invited to participate in this Brazilian e-sports carnival of tactical and strategic electronic warfare: from NaVi to Virtus Pro to Team Vitality and many more! We already know all 16 contestants, as qualifiers for IEM Rio have just finished, so this is the final version of the list for you to review as the tournament draws close:

List of Participants in ESL IEM Rio

Tournament Structure

IEM Rio will follow the most widespread CSGO and CS2 tournament format, allowing for matchups with generous odds and close contests depending on the skill, aim, and luck that teams bring to the table. Here’s how the competition is going to advance throughout the three-day CS Rio festival:

• IEM will start with the group stage: all teams will be divided into two brackets, each with eight teams, and they will play against each other in a round-robin format. After the matches are over and the results are calculated, the top three teams from each bracket (six in total) will advance further into the tournament.
• All playoff games are elimination matches, so once a team loses, they are done.
• The winner of a final match automatically qualifies for IEM Katowice 2025 and receives $100.000!

Quick Overview of Teams in IEM Rio Major

Every team invited or qualified to IEM Rio has already made a splash in the e-sports world. Some of them are well-known favorites, while others already made the world aware of their successes but have yet to achieve victories at CS majors. Which team do you think is going to win this year? Here’s a brief overview of each participant: pick your favorites and note their potential competition!

1. Astralis : The legendary team looking to regain its former glory, Astralis has always been a force to be reckoned with. Known for fantastic team coordination and complex strategies, this Danish collective might not have the highest odds of winning but might surprise everyone with their performance.
2. FaZe Clan : A well-established international team of industry veterans is a well-built superteam. Famous for a highly aggressive playstyle, FaZe is always a contender for a number one spot when it comes to participation in any CS tournament.
3. G2 Esports : G2 is one of the most famous European CS2 teams, coming from Berling, Germany, and it is known mainly for the individual skill of its superstar players, like NiKo and huNter.
4. MOUZ : Another prominent German team with Hamburg headquarters; this team features many young up-and-coming players and still proves to be a competent matchup for the best esports teams on the planet.
5. Natus Vincere : Perhaps they aren’t the same team that won all CS majors in a single year back in 2010 anymore, but this Ukrainian collective proves to be one of the strongest teams worldwide still, demonstrating it again in March this year when they won the finals of the PGL Major in Copenhagen against FaZe Clan.
6. Team Vitality : Explosive and entertaining, Vitality, with apEX and ZywOo at the helm, is one of the most well-balanced teams in the IEM Rio 2024. This French collective has one of the highest odds of winning the entire competition.
7. Virtus Pro : Currently flying Armenian colors and characterized by its deep understanding of Counter-Strike’s strategy and tactics, this previously Russian team is another favorite among bookmakers at the moment
8. Complexity Gaming : This North American team might not be among the favorites and is less well-known compared to some of their opponents on the bracket, but they have proven to be able to compete against the strongest CS collectives in the e-sports business.
9. The MongolZ : An explosive and unpredictable team from (what a surprise!) Mongolia proves that skill and tactical ability might take you far up the bracket, even from one of the most remote countries globally.
10. 9z Globant : Qualifying from South America, this IEM Rio won’t be easy for 9z, as Brazilian fans will most likely be firmly against an Argentinian team! Will they be able to overcome the odds and hostile crowd support? We’ll learn that in October.
11. paiN Gaming : paiN is on the other end of the fan support spectrum, as the Brazilian team might expect full crowd support behind its back, and they have proven quite a few times to be able to use that crowd’s rallying cry as a stimulus for winning on the home turf.
12. FURIA : Another Brazilian team with even more accolades, FURIA, got 3rd-4th place at IEM Rio 2022 and definitely wants to repeat its success or go even higher this year.
13. Rare Atom : The youngest team in the bracket (at least yet), Rare Atom has been active only since 2022 and finally got its chance to prove itself internationally. Whether Atom’s tactics will succeed against the giants of the Counter-Strike prime scene remains to be seen.
14. Team Liquid : One of the most successful North American e-sports organizations has qualified for the tournament only recently and instantly rose to the status of one of the favorites. They have never repeated their star-making year of 2019 when they won all the Intel Grand Slam tournaments, but perhaps this year Twistzz can take his team to success in Rio.
15. Eternal Fire : A young and up-and-coming Turkish team with MAJ3R at the helm has yet to make a splash on the e-sports scene, but their unpredictability and aggressiveness may yet earn them the prize spot on this major.
16. Heroic : This Norwegian team finished second last on IEM Rio 2023 and has recently qualified to perform in Brazil yet again. Will this European e-sports titan finally conquer one of the grandest stages in CS2 or finish a few inches away from the championship title yet again? We’ll find out in October!

ESL IEM Rio Odds and Predictions

Five teams stand out as favorites to win this ESL Rio competition as of August 2024: the odds and bets might change after the reveal of three additional teams qualifying for the competition or any unexpected changes in the starting lineups that are still possible before the tournament takes place. Here are the favorites, from the least likely to win to the most likely:

• 5) Furia. Known for using the hometown advantage to the fullest, this Brazilian collective is firmly favored by bookmakers worldwide, including MelBet.
• 4) NaVi (Natus Vincere) might have proven themselves in March in Copenhagen but are often criticized for inconsistency. They might win the entire contest or don’t show any of the skills their players are known for, and it’s impossible to predict whether we’ll see explosive and unbeatable NaVi at IES Rio or their tamer and predictable version.
• 3) Virtus Pro, however, has been extremely consistent lately. Slow and steady wins in the race might be their motto, and bookmakers globally seem to give them highly favorable odds of coming on top of their respective bracket or even the entire competition.
• 2) FaZe Clan, despite their recent loss to NaVi, still remains among the strongest teams on the CS2 scene, and bookmakers and bettors seem to agree that they’ve got a shot at Rio if they can go through the number one pick…
• 1) Team Vitality is the ultimate favorite, and it’s easy to understand why: with their compelling lineup consisting of well-known e-sports stars like Spinx and ZywOo, they’ve been on a roll throughout 2024 with only a few accolades escaping their grasp, bookmakers agree that Vitality is going to be number one competitor standing in the way of whoever will want to get crowned as a champion at IEM Rio, and if no one is able to stand in their way, they’ll take the crown themselves.

Participating in the MelBet Pick’em Contest

If you’re ready to prove your esports expertise, you’re welcome to participate in our Pick’Em contest! It’s extremely easy:

1. Register at the MelBet Pick’Em Website using your email address to get your own unique MelBet ID;
2. Go through a tournament bracket and pick six teams with the most chances of advancing to the next tournament stage: the playoffs (hint – the five teams we listed in the above paragraph could be a good starting point).
3. Continue accumulating points and predicting a winner in each of the playoff matches to finally guess who will get a champion’s accolades at the grand finale!
4. The more your predictions for IEM Brazil results have proven correct, the better prizes you might win, ranging from legendary CS2 weapon skins to advanced computer periphery – mice, microphones, and even gaming chairs, consoles, and gaming PCs!

FAQ

How Can I Win Prizes in the Pick’em Contest?

Log in to the MelBet Pick’em Contest page, choose the teams you favor, and as the event goes on, your predictions for the group stage, playoffs, and the final are added together – after the event is done, we compare the points of all players and award prizes to the most precise predictions.

Is it Possible to Earn Money at MelBet?

Not at the Pick’Em contest, but using the main MelBet betting platform, you can review the team’s odds, make bets on IEM 2024, and win real money.

Can I Make Predictions on IEM Rio 2024 Results on Mobile?

Sure, the site has an adaptive design ideally suited for mobile and desktop platforms. Simply log in with your MelBet ID on any device you choose and participate in the contest.

Do I Have to Watch the Stream Live to Participate?

Not at all. You can make your prediction before the event goes live and collect prizes after the results have been made public if your analysis has proven to be correct.