The Grand Final is just around the corner, with the four remaining teams at IEM Rio getting ready to go head-to-head in today's Semifinals (April 22).
IEM Rio 2023: Semifinals schedule and predictions
Just four remain from the 16 who started out at IEM Rio 2022, and just two will survive to make it through to tomorrow's Grand Final.
The remaining teams are competing for their share of the $250,000, with the tournament's ultimate winner receiving $100,000, alongside a qualification to IEM Cologne 2023, due to take place from July 25-August 6.
And we don't have long to wait to see how the IEM Rio Grand Final will shape up, with our first Semifinal match between Cloud9 and Team Vitality due to take place at 16:00 GMT.
Cloud9 (2.10) vs Team Vitality (1.65)
Cl0ud9 will be making their Playoffs debut today, after having qualified for the Semifinals through an incredible run through the Group Stage - which ended with a 2-1 victory over FURIA Esports in the Group B Upper Bracket Final. It's a remarkable run for the team, with Cloud9 having already beaten their 2022 Rio record, when they ranked in 5th - 8th place. But do they have what it takes to make it to the Grand Final?
Team Vitality has been one of the strongest teams at the tournament all week, and expectations will be running high for their performance later today. While Vitality spent much of the Playoffs in the lower bracket following an early loss to OG, they have nonetheless pulled off an impressive run so far - and had the honour of eliminating FaZe Clan from the tournament in the Lower Bracket Semifinal. Since then, they've gone on to claim victory over BIG in yesterday's Quarterfinals - but is their IEM Rio 2023 run about to come to an end?
The odds are slightly in Team Vitality's favour here, at 1.65 vs Cloud9's 2.10.
Our next Semifinal match of the day will take place at 19:30 GMT, when Natus Vincere (NAVI) will face off against Heroic.
Similarly to Cloud9, NAVI will be making their Playoffs debut today - having earned their spot in the Semifinals through their 2-0 victory over BIG in the Group A Upper Bracket Final. NAVI's run through Group A, where they also defeated The MongolZ and Ninjas in Pyjamas, is giving fans hope that the Ukrainian team could finally be back on top form - and that they could be well within reach of lifting the IEM Rio 2023 trophy.
But they won't if Heroic has anything to say about it. Despite suffering an upset loss to BIG in the Upper Bracket Semifinals, Heroic have similarly been dominating the competition so far. The team are fresh from their victory in the Quarterfinals, where they eliminated FURIA Esports from the tournament through a 2-1 win, and absolutely have the momentum behind them to pressure NAVI in the Semifinals. The team has yet to get their hands on a trophy since their victory at the BLAST Premier: Fall Finals in 2022, but is their luck about to change?
The odds are in NAVI's favour here, at 1.55 vs Heroic's 2.30.
The Grand Final of IEM Rio 2023 is just one day away, and is due to take place on April 23. And if you're not lucky enough to be attending in person, there's no reason to despair - you can watch CS:GO live right here on Luckbox, via our IEM Rio match schedule. We also have a wide array of options to bet on CS:GO in general, so make sure you've signed up for your free account before you jump into the action!
