IEM Rio 2026 Team Invites Revealed by ESL

The countdown to IEM Rio 2026 is well underway, and in the run-up to the event, ESL has unveiled the complete lineup of teams set to compete at the upcoming CS2 spectacle. The tournament kicks off on April 13 and will run for six days, with all comers battling for the biggest piece of the $1 million prize pool in Rio de Janeiro.

ESL confirmed the full roster of direct invites sent on January 15, along with the spread of teams selected for the GCQ and ACQ. From these qualifiers, another three teams will surface, two coming from the global bracket and one from the Americas bracket.

All Teams Confirmed for IEM Rio 2026 by ESL

The ESL posted a graphic on social media revealing the split of teams invited to IEM Rio 2026. Here’s the full rundown:

Direct Invites:

• PASSION UA
• FURIA
• Team Vitality
• Team Falcons
• Spirit
• Natus Vincere
• MOUZ
• Aurora Gaming
• B8
• Legacy
• G2 Esports
• Team Liquid
• 3DMAX

Global Closed Qualifier Invites:

• PARIVISION
• HEROIC
• FUT Esports
• BC.Game Esports
• GamerLegion
• BetBoom Team
• Gentle Mates
• HOTU
• fnatic
• EYEBALLERS
• K27
• 9INE

Americas Closed Qualifier Invites:

• Imperial Esports
• Fluxo
• BESTIA
• YNG Sharks

Fans noticed a few notable absences, namely from the organizations that were quick to decline their invites: Astralis, NiP, and FlyQuest, for instance. In the Americas Closed Qualifier, PaiN, NRG, and M80 all declined a spot.

There’s more than the face-value price pool to play for at IEM Rio, of course. The tournament is one of the main contributors to the ESL Grand Slam, which awards one organization $1 million. It’s the most prestigious prize in the Counter-Strike 2 space, and it’s what many of these teams play for.

Will you be watching IEM Rio 2026? Let us know what your predictions are looking like on the Insider Gaming Discord server.

For more Insider Gaming esports, check out the news that ImperialHal faced a controller ban in the ALGS Champs