The IEM Rio group stage schedule has been announced, and it promises to be an exciting event for CS:GO fans. The tournament features 16 teams competing for a prize pool of $250,000 in the Jeunesse Arena.
The teams have been divided into two double-elimination groups, with Group A featuring Heroic, the second-highest-ranked team in the event. They will face 9INE in their opening match. The other side of Group A will host Ninjas in Pyjamas and Natus Vincere.
Group B has the winners of ESL Pro League, FaZe, and they will face 9z in their opening match. Vitality and Cloud9 are also in Group B, and they are likely to face each other in the second round of play.
The group stage matches will begin on April 17 with best-of-one opening matches, before moving on to best-of-three. The winners of each group will advance directly to the semi-finals, while the second and third-placed teams will progress to the quarter-finals. The grand final of IEM Rio will be a best-of-five.
Group A:
{cflag:DK} Heroic
{cflag:PL} 9INE
{cflag:EU} MOUZ
{cflag:DE} BIG
{cflag:RU} Virtus.pro
{cflag:EU} Ninjas in Pyjamas
{cflag:UA} Natus Vincere
{cflag:MN} TheMongolz
Group B:
{cflag:EU} FaZe
{cflag:UY} 9z
{cflag:EU} fnatic
{cflag:BR} FURIA
{cflag:EU} Vitality
{cflag:EU} OG
{cflag:RU} Cloud9
{cflag:BR} MIBR
