Gentle Mates, RED Canids, HOTU Qualify for IEM Rio 2026

The three teams, Gentle Mates, RED Canids, and HOTU, have successfully qualified for IEM Rio 2026 by progressing through the Counter-Strike 2 tournament’s closed qualifying rounds.

Gentle Mates and HOTU progressed via the worldwide qualifier, whereas RED Canids secured their spot through the South American qualification tournament.

After Fnatic and BC.GAME were eliminated early, HOTU advanced through the winners’ bracket, securing wins against Gentle Mates and 9INE, which led to an upper bracket final match-up against BetBoom Team.

David ‘n0rbe3r7‘ Danielyan was instrumental in the best-of-three series, as HOTU achieved a decisive 2-0 victory, thereby earning their slot in the primary tournament alongside several prominent Counter-Strike organizations.

Gentle Mates fought their way through the losers’ bracket, defeating Team Nemesis, Ursa, and 9INE, ultimately meeting BetBoom Team in the lower bracket final to contend for the last spot from the global qualification stage. Each team claimed one map win, necessitating a tie-breaking match on Overpass, where Gentle Mates triumphed to secure their qualification.

Regarding RED Canids, the team from South America overcame Sharks Esports, Imperial Esports, and BESTIA en route to the Grand Final. BESTIA reached the Grand Final via the lower bracket and initiated the best-of-three series by winning Nuke, putting them one map away from qualification. RED Canids then recovered, securing victories on Ancient and Inferno to achieve a 2-1 series win and confirm their inaugural Tier 1 event participation for 2026.

After the online qualification stages have concluded, the complete roster for IEM Rio 2026 is presented below:

Scheduled to occur between April 13th and 19th, 2026, the 16 participating teams will contend for a portion of the $300,000 (~£219,475) prize pool and Valve Regional Standings (VRS) points. For Gentle Mates, RED Canids, and HOTU, their participation in Rio presents a chance to improve their standings and secure a spot at the IEM Cologne Major scheduled for June.