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The Legends Stage of CS:GO's IEM Rio Major 2022 concluded yesterday after five rounds of breathtaking matches. Twenty-four of the best teams in the world initially arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to compete for the Major title. After four days of head-to-head combat, only eight CS:GO teams remain.
The remaining eight teams will enter the Champions Stage of the IEM Rio Major 2022 and will compete in a single-elimination bracket to progress to the Grand Finals. The Champions Stage will be held live at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro from November 10, 2022, to November 13, 2022.
Standings, schedule, and top 5 highlights after the Legends Stage of CS:GO IEM Rio Major 2022
Standings
Here are the IEM Rio Major 2022 Legends Stage standings ahead of the Champions Stage:
All eight teams that finished the Legends Stage with three victories have advanced to the Champions Stage.
Here are all the teams that qualified for the quarter-finals of the ongoing CS:GO Major:
- Cloud9
- FURIA
- Heroic
- Outsiders
- Fnatic
- Team Spirit
- NAVI
- MOUZ
Top 5 highlights of the Legends Stage
1) Reigning Majors champions eliminated after a 0-3 run
A global spectacle as perennial as the CS:GO Majors is not new to surprises. However, Counter-Strike fans were in for the shock of a lifetime when they witnessed the winners of the recent PGL Antwerp 2022 Major, FaZe Clan, being sent home after three consecutive defeats in the Legends Stage.
FaZe Clan secured a slot in the Legends Stage by finishing their Road to Rio 2022: European RMR A tournament in first place, ahead of teams like Team Spirit, Cloud9, and Fnatic. However, the reigning world champions kicked off their tournament run with a rough start.
FaZe was defeated by Cloud9 in Round 1 after a close matchup. However, in Round 2, FaZe was overpowered by Team Vitality, thereby sending them to meet Bad News Eagles in the elimination match.
After a 1-2 defeat to the Kosovian roster, FaZe created history by becoming the first-ever Major winner to crash out of the next Major with a 0-3 tally.
2) ENCE sends Team Vitality home
Team Vitality entered the Majors as one of the favorites to win the tournament. They won the ESL Pro League Season 16 in October 2022 after putting in a set of promising performances, which raised the bar of expectations from them at the Majors.
After a 3-2 run in the Challengers Stage, Vitality did look a bit shaky. However, the French fanbase still had their hopes on ZywOo and apEX to bring a CS:GO Major home for the first time since Team LDLC's win at DreamHack Winter 2014.
To fans' dismay, Vitality was eliminated from the Legends Stage after maintaining a 1-3 run in the tournament, with their only victory coming against FaZe Clan. ENCE sent Vitality home in Round 4 after a 2-0 victory.
3) Liquid and Spirit go toe-to-toe on Ancient for the last slot
Being North America's leading CS:GO roster, Team Liquid carried the hopes of a major region on their shoulders. Fans were delighted to see the team's first-place finish at the Road to Rio 2022: American RMR and their recent acquisition of YEKINDAR.
Upon entering the tournament, however, Liquid had a rough time. They managed to claim wins over NAVI and Sprout. However, their defeats to MOUZ and Heroic pushed them closer to elimination as they ended up facing Team Spirit for the tournament's last Champions Stage slot.
Team Liquid's qualification for the Champions Stage would mean that the Americas region would have an extra Legends slot for the upcoming CS:GO Major. They also had the support of former players like Twistzz and FalleN, which encouraged the Brazilian audience to cheer for them.
However, after an exhilarating three-map entertainer, Spirit closed out the series with a 16-13 win against Liquid on Ancient, shattering the hopes of an entire region.
4) Cloud9 remains undefeated in the Legends Stage
Cloud9 entered the IEM Rio Major with high expectations. Being a roster with remarkably talented individuals like sh1ro and nafany, and with the presence of Major-winners like HObbit, Cloud9 was on the right track to success.
The Russian roster did face a bit of trouble at the start of the tournament, as they lost to Fnatic and Grayhound Gaming on Day 1 of the Challengers Stage.
Since then, Cloud9 are yet to lose a match and have cruised their way to the Champions Stage after an exceptional 3-0 run in the Legends Stage.
5) Four CIS teams enter the top 8 of the Majors
The CIS region has been home to some of CS:GO's most promising talents, and the IEM Rio Major 2022 proves the same. Teams like NAVI, Virtus.pro, and Gambit have always had their stronghold in the Counter-Strike community.
Backing up their region's dominance, four CIS rosters have sealed their spot at the apex of the tournament by earning a playoff slot.
Cloud9, Outsiders, Team Spirit, and NAVI will head into the quarter-finals of the tournament in four separate brackets, creating the possibility of an all-CIS Semi-finals.
Champions Stage schedule
The IEM Rio Major 2022 Champions Stage will feature the Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, and the Grand Final of the tournament over the course of three days.
Thursday, November 10
- Outsiders vs Fnatic - 10.00 am PDT / 6.00 pm CEST / 10.30 pm IST
- MOUZ vs Cloud9 - 1.30 pm PDT / 9.30 pm CEST / 2 am IST (next day)
Friday, November 11
- Spirit vs Heroic - 10.00 am PDT / 6.00 pm CEST / 10.30 pm IST
- FURIA vs NAVI - 1.30 pm PDT / 9.30 pm CEST / 2 am IST (next day)
Saturday, November 12
- Semi-final 1 (MOUZ/Cloud9 vs Outsiders/Fnatic) - 10.00 am PDT / 6.00 pm CEST / 10.30 pm IST
- Semi-final 2 (Spirit/Heroic vs FURIA/NAVI) - 1.30 pm PDT / 9.30 pm CEST / 2 am IST (next day)
Sunday, November 13
- Grand Final - 11.00 am PDT / 7.00 pm CEST / 11.30 pm IST
Fans of CS:GO can watch the IEM Rio Major 2022 Champions Stage live on ESL CS:GO's official Twitch channel. Viewers can also tune into the co-streams held by content creators in various languages.
The Champions Stage will commence with the Outsiders vs Fnatic quarter-finals matchup on November 10, 2022, at 10.00 am PDT / 6.00 pm CEST / 10.30 pm IST.
