IEM Rio Major 2022 will start in a few days, and if you are not familiar with the format, it might be hard to understand. We explained the swiss system that is used in these Majors and most CS:GO tournaments before, now is the time to talk about the three staged format of IEM Rio Major 2022.

Starting from ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018, this format is used in all Major tournaments, where the 8 teams advance to the next round and a champion is crowned in the final stage that is called the Champions Stage. Take a look at our detailed explanation below.
Challengers Stage
Challengers Stage includes 16 teams that made it to the major, but eight of them are the lowest-seeded teams and the other eight are mid-seeded teams. Higher seeded teams face the lower seeded teams in their first games, which are best-of-ones until the elimination/qualification matches. Check out our explanation of the swiss system below:
Also Read | IEM Rio Major 2022’s swiss system explained |
Before, an offline qualifier was played just before the Major to decide the final sixteen teams competing in the main stage. Although it still acts like a qualifier, with this stage, teams that start from the Challengers Stage feel a part of the Major, an unforgettable feeling.
After three to five matches for each team, eight teams advance to the next round, Legends Stage. Which means eight teams are eliminated, and they get prizes according to their final placements.
Legends Stage
In the Legends Stage, the teams that qualified for this phase play against the real giants. It's another swiss system bracket, where you start with best-of-ones until the elimination/qualification matches. This is the stage where strong teams like FaZe Clan and Natus Vincere join the competition.
Before 2018, this stage was called the group stage and was also a swiss system bracket. However, it didn't include the best-of-three series to decide which team advances and which team gets eliminated.
Eight teams qualify for the next round after the Legends Stage, and you can consider those eight teams to be the current best teams in CS:GO esports easily.
Keep track of the latest news and find the live streams of the matches from IEM Rio Major 2022 on Luckbox. Sign up now to claim your 100% bonus before placing your bets.
Champions Stage
Finally, the Champions Stage starts with eight teams. It is a simple single-elimination bracket with best-of-three matches. If you lose, you are out. If you manage to be the last team standing, you are the new king of CS:GO, for a long time.
It is the stage where the most iconic moments you can remember are from, and it is the place where the Major trophy is awarded. 24 teams fight to get here, and it is a total chaos after the Champions Stage: no second chances.

