IEM Rio 2024 Group A and B Preview: Top Teams to Qualify

Sixteen teams are entering the group stage of IEM Rio 2024, but only six will have a chance at reaching gold in the Playoffs and experiencing a unique crowd in Farmasi Arena, Rio de Janeiro.

While Group B has the qualities to deliver a spectacular show, Group A will attract most eyes where five of the best teams will face off on a knife’s edge. So, will it be a walk in the park for the top dogs or will the underdogs have a say and show up to play?

Group A

FaZe Clan, Natus Vincere, Team Liquid and MOUZ are the heavy favorites in this group. However, we must note the recent dip in form notably from FaZe and MOUZ which might tip the scale in favor of teams such as Complexity and FURIA.

The unshakable NAVI

By far the strongest team during 2024 can breeze past the competition and reach the later stages of the tournament. Ever since winning the PGL CS2 Copenhagen Major, NAVI reached six grand finals and collected three trophies.

Their powerful rifling trio mixed with excellent AWPing from Ihor "w0nderful" Zhdanov and Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen’s calls made them a power team that is feared by most top teams. For that, the red carpet is rolled out for them to reach the organization’s best season in Counter-Strike since its inception.

Beauty in the struggle

IEM Rio is a defining tournament for FaZe Clan’s future with the current roster. Ever since ESL Pro League Season 19 they’ve been trembling in their boots in the final stages of over five consecutive events with 5th-6th finishes.

Despite not being in top form, they remain a strong opponent for most teams considering their eliminations were handed to them by either Team Vitality, G2 or NAVI for the most part. Additionally, what makes Finn "karrigan" Andersen’s team unique is their ability to flip the script when least expected, hence why watching them is beautiful despite their struggle.

Nevertheless, reaching the playoffs for FaZe Clan is almost certain, but the first stages of playoffs will be their limit based on their recent showing.

Don’t forget about MOUZ

It seems as if one bad event was enough to remove MOUZ from the equation. Regardless of their disastrous showing in ESL Pro League Season 20, their achievements this year speak volumes on their overall level as they lifted two trophies in addition to a Quarterfinals spot at the latest CS2 Major.

In fact, just before Pro League, they seized a 3rd place finish at BetBoom Dacha while taking down Eternal Fire, paiN Gaming and going neck to neck with Team Spirit.

Obviously, their early elimination in Malta might take a toll on them, but Kamil "siuhy" Szkaradek has what it takes to get back into the swing of things and ultimately reach the IEM Rio playoffs in an attempt to make amends with the MOUZ fans.

Group B

Unlike Group A which boasts many strong teams, Group B’s outcome is predictable with Vitality and G2 leading the charge through the upper bracket, while the lower bracket will be close between Eternal Fire and Astralis.

We’ve already seen what the Turks can achieve, therefore, Astralis remains the only mystery going into the group stage. Especially after failing to meet expectations during Casper "cadiaN" Møller’s first appearance with the Danish squad.

The dark horse

Fear not Astralis fans, since cadiaN expected the negative outcome with the players yet to find their suitable positions. Moreover, in a recent discussion with Astralis, the captain channeled his hopes in being able to manipulate rotations and get players into their comfortable positions.

"I want to see us succeed in playing the style of CS we aim for. Even though it's still early in the process, I hope that, like in our second match against Spirit at the Fall Final, we can manipulate rotations and get players into their comfort positions." – cadiaN to Astralis

While the MongolZ can also be a threat, Astralis checked every metric for entering the event as the dark horse since we’re yet to see how they will approach the game, and more importantly, what face can the new captain show to the world.

To conclude, IEM Rio is shaping up to be an electrifying event with many storylines that will either make or break the teams before heading into the Shanghai RMRs. So, set your alarm never to miss a frag and check the Strafe news page for more esports content.

Featured Image source: ESL, edited by Strafe Esports

Read more:

What to expect in Counter-Strike 2 IEM Rio?

IEM Rio 2024: Teams, Schedule, Format, Prize Pool and More

"I don't want to be mediocre" CadiaN discusses joining Astralis and reuniting with stavn and jabbi