IEM Rio 2023 Betting Preview: Everything You Need to Know

Following weeks of qualification matches, one of the most anticipated CSGO esports events of the year has finally arrived. Ahead of his exciting event, Valve has hosted multiple qualifier events to ensure that only the best CSGO teams in the world attend this event. Just like every other CSGO event before it, IEM Rio will span one week, featuring a $250,000 prize pool and potentially smashing viewership records.

IEM Rio 2023: Event Overview

Start Date	17th April 2023
End Date	23rd April 2023
Venue	Jeunesse Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Teams	16
Prize Pool	$250,000
Seed	IEM Cologne 2023 (1st)
Organizer	ESL

Top-Rated IEM Rio Betting Sites & Bonuses

These are the best CSGO betting sites worth considering for the IEM Rio 2023:

IEM Rio 2023 Outright Odds

Using one esports betting platform, in particular, namely GG.Bet, we’ve gathered all of the outright IEM Rio odds for the teams attending the upcoming event to provide an idea as to what the competition and betting odds look like.

Remember – the shorter the odds, the more likely a team is to win the entire event!

Participating Team	Outright Win Odds
FaZe Clan	3.75
Cloud9	4.69
Heroic	4.69
Natus Vincere	5.62
Team Vitality	8.90
FURIA Esports	11.23
MOUZ	12.17
Fnatic	15.91
Ninjas in Pyjamas	24.33
OG	31.81
9INE	38.36
TheMongolz	47.71
BIG	47.71
MIBR	71.09
9z Team	94.47

Read more about GG.Bet’s features in our exclusive GG.Bet review.

Participating Teams

Notably, Virtus.pro were formerly a participating team, recently giving away their spot to Imperial. In fact, this change was so recent that outright odds for this team are still being developed.

Event Format and Schedule

So, what format do teams have to fight through should they wish to make history?

Similar to previous events, the format involves two stages.

Firstly, a Group Stage will split the competition into two groups of eight IEM Rio-qualified teams as listed:

• Group A: Heroic, 9INE, BIG, MOUZ, Virtus.pro, Ninjas in Pyjamas, The MongolZ, Natus Vincere
• Group B: FaZe Clan, 9z Team, FURIA Esports, Fnatic, Team Vitality, OG, MIBR, Cloud9

Within each Group, a double-elimination format group will take place, with BO1 opening matches followed by BO3 matches.

From each group, only the top three move on to the Playoffs, as determined by the following seeding:

• Group Winner – seed to Semifinals
• Group Runners-up – seed to Quarterfinals (High Seeds)
• Group Third place – seed to Quarterfinals (Low Seeds)

Once in the Playoffs, a single-elimination bracket between the final six teams will determine an overall winner, culminating in an epic BO5 Grand Final.

IEM Rio Schedule – Opening Matches

Considering the format, only the opening matches are confirmed as of now and available for IEM Rio 2023 betting. Bearing this in mind, we’ve listed the entire Rio 2023 schedule, with times in the CEST time zone:

17th April – Group A

• Virtus.pro vs Ninjas in Pyjamas (16:00)
• The MongolZ vs Natus Vincere (16:00)
• Heroic vs 9INE (17:15)
• BIG vs MOUZ (17:15)

17th April – Group B

• Team Vitality vs OG (18:30)
• MIBR vs Cloud9 (18:30)
• FURIA vs Fnatic (19:45)
• FaZe Clan vs 9z Team (19:45)

Also, we’d like to point out that ESL will be broadcasting all of the Rio 2023 scheduled matches on their respective YouTube and Twitch channels.

See also: How to watch IEM Rio 

Teams Participating – Favourites and Underdogs

The teams attending this event have made it to this event through multiple avenues: either as ESL Partner Teams, through ESL World Ranking or Regional Qualifiers.

• ESL Partner Team – FaZe Clan, Fnatic, MOUZ, Natus Vincere, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team Vitality
• ESL World Ranking – Heroic, Virtus.pro, Cloud9, OG,
• Qualifier – 9INE, BIG, MIBR, 9z Team, The MongolZ
• Invited – FURIA

Starting with favourites, we’d like to outline the following teams to consider for IEM Rio 2023 betting:

• FaZe Clan – recent winners of ESL Pro League S17
• Natus Vincere – a stellar roster winning multiple events last year
• Cloud9 – high on the World Rankings, 2nd at the most recent EPL S17 event

In addition, here are some underdogs worth considering from the IEM Rio qualified teams:

• MOUZ – managing to take down FaZe in the past week, this team is one to watch this event
• Heroic – since placing second at IEM Katowice 2023, they’ve been waiting for another chance – this could be it
• Fnatic – despite being on a dry spell, Fnatic is an organization that can’t ever be overlooked

How to Bet on IEM Rio 2023

No matter how much experience you may have, the IEM Rio 2023 is a fantastic esports betting opportunity. If you’re new, feel free to read on for some tips regarding CSGO betting for beginners. 

Beyond the overall outright odds which we’ve outlined above, there are a number of betting markets worth considering after selecting an esports betting site, as listed below:

• Match Winner – a simple bet which can be modified with certain round handicaps, where one may bet on the team they believe will win the match
• Map Winner – such a bet may be narrowed down to predicting which team will win each map
• Live Betting – besides the typical betting prior to a match starting, live betting has been growing increasingly popular due to its excitement
• Special bets – bets around very particular parameters, recommended for experienced users:
• Bomb Betting – the bomb is at the centre of each round, and its fate can be betted on – will it be planted, defused or neither?
• Most Kills (Player) – a special bet in which one picks between two-star players on either roster, predicting who’ll come out on top with more kills in a particular map

Whether it’s through cryptocurrency or normal currency, placing your first CSGO bet may seem daunting. Especially if you’re only starting out, we recommend checking out CSGO betting sites with low deposit and welcome bonuses.

What’s more? Any IEM Rio 2023 betting worth considering, is worth doing so on the go. Just like any other service, esports betting is completely doable through smartphone apps – check out the best apps for CSGO which make live betting that much easier.

In addition, being knowledgeable and experienced in CSGO betting is a skill that comes with time. 

More to Come

Overall, the IEM Rio event looks to be an epic opportunity for newcomers and seasoned users in the world of esports betting.

Beyond the details we’ve discussed here, we’ll be providing more coverage of the event in the coming days – stay tuned for more.