ESL Gaming announces IEM Rio Major

Almost two years after the cancellation of the ESL One Rio Major 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, ESL Gaming has announced the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Rio Major 2022. 

The Rio Major will be the 18th CS:GO Major and will take place from October 31 to November 13, 2022, and will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The announcement of the Major was made by Brazilian streamer Alexandre ‘Gaules’ Borba, who will also serve as the Portuguese-language caster for the tournament. 

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The tournament is set to have a prize pool of US$1 million, with 24 teams competing for CS:GO’s biggest crown. The final stages of the tournament will be held in front of the audiences at the Jeunesse Arena in the Barra da Tijuca region in Rio de Janeiro. 

The announcement comes off the back of the PGL Antwerp Major 2022, the year’s first Major and also the tournament that saw a record viewership of more than 2.1 million views, which is the second largest in the sport’s history. 

The Antwerp Major was won by FaZe Clan who beat Natus Vincere 2-0 in the grand finals.

Ulrich Schulze, SVP Product Management at ESL Gaming, commented:

“The ever-growing and passionate Brazilian esports community is amazing and for the past couple of years, we have been hoping to provide the fans with one of the greatest esports experiences ever. Now the time is finally here and we can’t wait for the world’s best CS:GO teams to ultimately enter the Jeunesse Arena and have it shake to its foundations from the excitement from Brazil and beyond.”

The Rio Major will be the first ever CS:GO Major that will be held in South America. Brazil previously hosted the ESL One Belo Horizonte and the ESL Pro League Season 4.