It's time for the Grand Final! It's all been leading up to this, and we're just hours away from finding out who will be the champion of IEM Rio 2023!
IEM Rio 2023: Team Vitality vs Heroic Grand Final Schedule and Predictions
Of the 16 teams who kicked off the action at IEM Rio 2023, just two remain. We've had a packed schedule of world-class CS:GO action so far this week, filled with surprise upsets and stunning performances, but the end is almost upon us.
The winner of today's Grand Final will receive $100,000 out of the $250,000 prize pool, and will also qualify for the upcoming IEM Cologne 2023 - due to take place from July 25-August 6.
And we don't have long to wait before we'll finally know which team will be getting their hands on the IEM Rio 2023 trophy. The Grand Final is set to kick off at 18:00 GMT today (April 23), with a match between Team Vitality and Heroic.
Team Vitality (2.10) vs Heroic (1.65)
Team Vitality have been one of the strongest-performing teams in the tournament since the start, but that's not to say their place in the Grand Final was in any way guaranteed. Team Vitality knows more than anyone that some of the titans of CS:GO have failed to make it this far, having been the team to eliminate the mighty FaZe Clan from the tournament, after claiming a 2-0 victory in the Group B Lower Bracket Semifinal. More recently, Vitality successfully faced off against Cloud9 in the Playoff's Semifinals, ending the majority Russian team's otherwise promising run through the tournament. Team Vitality has been one of our favourite teams from the start of IEM Rio 2023 - but do they have what it takes to get their hands on the trophy?
Not if Heroic has anything to say about it! We've similarly had our eye on Heroic since the start of the tournament, and they've not let us down yet. Perhaps their highlight of the tournament so far came in yesterday's Semifinals, when Heroic pulled off a decisive 2-0 win over Natus Vincere, defying the odds to eliminate the Ukrainian superstars from the tournament. Heroic hasn't had a tournament win since their victory at the BLAST Premier: Fall Finals 2022 in November last year - but they've come close. The team came agonisingly close to victory at IEM Katowice earlier this year, which they ended in second place after suffering a 3-1 defeat to G2 Esports in the Grand Final. Will Heroic finally get their first trophy of the year, or is history about to repeat itself?
The odds are in Heroic's favour here, at 1.65 vs Team Vitality's 2.10.
The Grand Final of IEM Rio 2023 is just hours away! Whoever you choose to support, make sure you've signed up for your free account before you watch the IEM Rio 2023 Grand Final right here on Luckbox!
