We knew that the Legends Stage would be far more gripping than the previous Challengers Stage, but boy oh boy did IEM deliver. In the end, half of the 16 teams bid farewell to IEM Rio Major, and the other half took their place at the Champions Stage, waiting and preparing for tomorrow’s inevitable clashes.
Intel Extreme Masters Rio Major 2022 has just completed the two of three stages, and now is the time for the best of best to prove themselves. This is the Champions Stage; a single loss means elimination unlike the previous stages.
The Legends Stage Results
The Intel Extreme Masters Rio Major 2022 Legends Stage ended yesterday with quite a few surprises. Even in the opening salvo of matchups, some of our predictions were off: MOUZ managed to win against the favourite Team Liquid, and 16-2 to boot. FaZe Clan lost a very close match against Cloud9, which set them on their way to the depths of hell. Check out our prediction for the previous stage here:
| Also Read | IEM Rio Major 2022 Legends Stage Schedule & Odds |
Cloud9 and the only Brazilian team remaining in the tournament, FURIA reached the Champions Stage without losing any matches. Outsiders and Fnatic both lost only to Heroic and passed through the Legends Stage.
One of the major favourites of IEM Rio Major, FaZe Clan went onto a 3-0 losing streak and got out of the tournament. ENCE, BIG and Team Liquid missed their shot at the final round as well.
The Champions Stage Teams
Now that we are all caught up, it’s time for us to turn our gaze into the future. IEM Rio 2022 began with 24 amazing teams that tried their best to reach the final stage of IEM, the Champions Stage. And without further ado, here are the final 8 teams that remain:
| Team A | Team B | |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter Final 1 | Outsiders | Fnatic |
| Quarter Final 2 | MOUZ | Cloud9 |
| Quarter Final 3 | Team Spirit | Heroic |
| Quarter Final 4 | FURIA | NAVI |
The Champions Stage Format
The Champions Stage is a simple single elimination tournament format, widely used for playoffs. As the name suggests, a single loss means elimination, which ultimately implies that the winner of the tournament will be the team that wins all of their matchups from now on. All Champions Stage matchups are Bo3 or best-of-threes, the team that wins 2 of the 3 matches will advance to the next round. This includes the Grand Final as well.
The Champions Stage Schedule & Predictions
The Champions Stage kicks off tomorrow on November 10th, and this is where the best 8 teams of IEM will battle it out for the impressive half-million-dollar first place prize.
Both Outsiders and Fnatic made it here all the way from the Challengers Stage. Outsiders actually met Fnatic at the Challengers Stage, and beat them 2-0. Both teams only lost to Heroic at the Legends Stage. Fnatic may be eager to avenge the Challengers Stage loss, but Outsiders is the favourite here and may very well repeat the 2-0 win over Fnatic.
MOUZ and Cloud9 are two more teams that weren’t seeded as legends at IEM Rio Major 2022. They never met during the Challengers and Legends Stages but here is the kicker: At the Challengers stage, MOUZ went 3-0 and Cloud9 barely dodged elimination with 3-2. It was quite the opposite at the Legends Stage; Cloud9 breezed through with 3-0, and it was MOUZ who had to push through with 3-2. C9 looks to be the better team here, but MOUZ is here precisely because they rose up against all odds.
Now we get two teams seeded as legends, therefore didn’t play at the Challengers Stage. Heroic seems to be the favourite in this matchup. They won against Outsiders who in turn bested Team Spirit at the Legends Stage.
FURIA Esports vs Natus Vincere
FURIA, the only remaining Brazilian team here at IEM, looks amazing. NAVI is the favourite here with their impressive history, but FURIA is well equipped and dedicated to overcome them.
These matches begin on November 10th, so you have a little over a day to place your bets. This is the end game for IEM Rio Major, take your pick and watch the incredible last stage unfold.
