IEM Rio open qualifiers start in less than a month

Earlier today, ESL announced the IEM Road to Rio Qualifiers for all regions ahead of the 18th edition of the CS:GO Major. For North America and South America, each region will play three editions of open qualifiers, with the first iteration for both regions set to begin August 15th.

Road to Rio: North America Dates

• 1st open qualifier: August 15th to 17th

• 2nd open qualifier: August 31st to September 2nd

• 3rd open qualifier: September 3rd to 5th

Road to Rio: South America Dates

• 1st open qualifier: August 15th to 17th

• 2nd open qualifier: August 20th to 22nd

• 3rd open qualifier: August 25th to 27th

The early dates of the qualifiers raise some concerns as they begin immediately following the end of the CSPPA summer break. The implication is that this is not a true break as teams in transitionary phases, teams that are looking to revamp their squads, or players in general, will need to be game-ready when entering tough qualifiers, which will take longer than just one day.

For the North American qualifiers, two teams from each open qualifier will move on to the Americas RMR in a Single-Elimination bracket. All qualification matches will be played out in a best-of-three format. South America will have seven qualification spots. The first two qualifiers will have two spots, while the final, third qualifier will have three spots available for teams to move on to the Americas RMR.

Liquid, Imperial, and FURIA will be participating in the RMR following their performance in the PGL Antwerp Major. These three teams will join the thirteen qualified teams from the open qualifiers at the IEM Road to Rio Americas RMR which is set to take place between October 3rd and 9th at a location that is still to be determined.

The IEM Rio Major is set to be held between October 31st and November 13th. The playoffs, scheduled to begin on November 10, will be hosted at the Jeunesse Arena in front of a sold-out crowd.