An Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) tournament will be held in Brazil again in 2026. ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has confirmed IEM Rio 2026, in collaboration with the State of Rio de Janeiro and the Rio de Janeiro Esports Federation (FERJEE). The event is scheduled to take place at the Farmasi Arena from April 13 to 19, 2026, and will feature 16 of the world’s top Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) teams.
The confirmation of Rio de Janeiro as the host city provides specific detail to earlier announcements. While an IEM event in Brazil for 2026 had been previously confirmed, the formal identification of Rio de Janeiro and the Farmasi Arena as the venue solidifies the tournament’s location.
The tournament is part of the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) and will have a total prize pool of $1,000,000. The final three days, from April 17 to 19, will be open to a live audience. A previous edition of the event, held in 2024, attracted 19,000 on-site attendees. However, the event was not held in 2025, returning only in 2026.
The first wave of ticket sales will begin on 15 December 2025.
“Brazil has always held a special place in the hearts of our community, and we are incredibly excited to bring IEM back to this passionate audience,” said Marc Winther, Director Esports – Counter-Strike at ESL FACEIT Group. “The atmosphere in Rio is truly unmatched, and together with the State of Rio de Janeiro and FERJEE, we’re committed to delivering a high-stakes competition that celebrates the best of Counter-Strike culture.”
EFG will work with FERJEE on the event’s onsite activities and social programs. Cadu Albuquerque, President of the entity, noted the planning period since the last event. “IEM Rio has become emblematic, firmly establishing itself within our state and in the hearts of the Counter-Strike fans. Although the event did not take place in 2025, we remained active and used that period to plan ahead for upcoming editions, making the 2026 return possible.”
The City of Rio de Janeiro’s administration has actively pursued major esports events as a core component of its cultural and economic strategy, operating a dedicated Games and Esports department led by former esports journalist Chandy Teixeira to facilitate this goal.
Rio has built a notable recent history of hosting top-tier Counter-Strike tournaments. The city previously hosted an IEM Major in 2022, followed by two IEM Rio events in 2023 and 2024, establishing itself as a recurring destination for the Intel Extreme Masters circuit prior to the event’s pause in 2025.
The drive for cities to host tournaments of this scale is frequently linked to their perceived economic impact, as pointed by Rafael Picciani, Secretary of Sports and Leisure of the State of Rio de Janeiro: “Fostering esports is a strategy that goes beyond entertainment: it generates jobs, drives the economy, and offers new perspectives for thousands of people”.
These factors increase interest from municipal governments worldwide in securing such events. Earlier this year, The Esports Radar interviewed Jascha Braeker, Senior Partnerships Development Manager for Host Cities at EFG, who shared insight into how the company evaluates and picks host cities for its events. The full feature can be read in this link.
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