The qualification for Intel® Extreme Masters Road to Rio is in most regions concluded and as such we’re today announcing seeding information for all of the three regions: Europe, Asia & Americas.
Europa
With the fourth and final open qualifier for IEM Road to Rio Europe concluding this past weekend, the final six teams out of a total of twenty qualifying have been found. The seeding process is based on the Valve Major Supplement Rulebook and will be carried out as indicated below:
- Teams coming from the top 16 at the PGL Antwerp Major will be seeded 1st - 12th in the order of their final placing from that event
- Teams coming from the open qualifiers will be seeded as follows:
- 1st - 5th from open qualifier 1 will be seeded 13th - 18th
- 1st - 4th from open qualifier 2 will be seeded 19th - 22nd
- 1st - 5th from open qualifier 3 will be seeded 23rd - 27th
- 1st - 6th from open qualifier 4 will be seeded 28th - 32nd
- Seeds 1 - 12 will be placed into EU 1 & 2 using the alternating seeding method
- The 1st placed team from open qualifier 1 (Sprout) will choose whether to be placed into EU 1 or 2
- The remaining teams will be seeded into EU 1 & 2 using the alternating seeding method.
Based on the above, the two groups for IEM Road to Rio Europe are as listed below:
| Europe #1 | Europe #2 |
|---|---|
| FaZe Clan | Natus Vincere |
| Team Spirit | ENCE |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas | Heroic |
| G2 Esports | Team Vitality |
| Cloud 9 | BIG |
| Bad News Eagles | Outsiders |
| Sprout | Team Falcons |
| Aurora | MOUZ |
| fnatic | OG Esports |
| forZe | k23 |
| Eternal Fire | Monte |
| B8 | Sangal Esports |
| Ecstatic | FANTASY |
| Astralis | SAW |
| 1WIN | HEET |
| GamerLegion | Benched Heroes |
With the seeding process concluded and groups fully set, this has also set the first round of matchups taking place on Tuesday, October 4:
| Europe #1 | Europe #2 |
|---|---|
| FaZe Clan vs GamerLegion | Natus Vincere vs Benched Heroes |
| Team Spirit vs 1WIN | ENCE VS HEET |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas vs Astralis | Heroic vs SAW |
| G2 Esports vs ECSTATIC | Team Vitality vs FANTASY |
| Cloud9 vs B8 | BIG vs Sangal Esports |
| Bad News Eagles vs Eternal Fire | Outsiders vs Monte |
| Sprout vs Forze | Team Falcons vs K23 |
| Aurora vs fnatic | MOUZ vs OG Esports |
asia
This past weekend also marked the conclusion of the IEM Road to Rio Asia Closed Qualifiers, which took place in four regions: Central Asia, Oceania, Middle-East and Rest of Asia. With four teams qualifying, the seeding process has been conducted based on the final placing at the PGL Antwerp Major, following the Valve Major Supplement Rulebook, teams coming from the closed qualifiers have seeded as follows:
- 1st from the Rest of Asia closed qualifier will be seeded 1st
- 1st from the Oceania closed qualifier will be seeded 2nd
- 1st from the Central Asia closed qualifier will be seeded 3rd
- 1st from the Middle East closed qualifier will be seeded 4th
Based on the above, the matchups for the first round of IEM Road to Rio Asia, taking place Friday, October 7, are as listed below:
| ASIA |
|---|
| IHC Esports vs JijieHao International |
| Grayhound vs. Rare Atom |
americas
While the majority of teams for IEM Road to Rio Americas have been found, the seeding will only be carried out once the last open qualifiers in North America have been fully finalized. We will revert back with an update on Tuesday, September 6th.
Overview
IEM Road to Rio will be the final destination for teams in order to make the Intel® Extreme Masters Rio Major, with only 24 out of the 52 participating teams able to make it to the first South American CS:GO Major in history.
