Five Teams Went Perfect on Day One of the $300K Counter-Strike Tournament in Brazil and the Stakes Just Got Real

Team Vitality, Team Spirit, Team Falcons, FURIA, and Aurora Gaming all opened the Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2026 tournament with sweeps Monday, and it immediately became clear who came to play. Sixteen Counter-Strike 2 teams are battling this week for a $125,000 first-place prize at the $300,000 event in Brazil, and the opening day proved some squads are already operating on a different level.

The Perfect Start: Who Dominated and Who Got Caught Off Guard

In Group A, Team Vitality swept Red Canids without breaking a sweat. Team Spirit followed suit against Team Liquid, and Team Falcons took down 3DMAX the same way. Meanwhile, G2 Esports looked shaky early when Gentle Mates grabbed a 13-8 win on Inferno, but G2 regrouped hard with back-to-back victories on Mirage (13-8) and Overpass (13-3) to steal the match.

Group B told a similar story. FURIA swept Passion UA while Aurora Gaming made quick work of HOTU. Natus Vincere opened with an absolutely dominant 13-0 shutout against B8 on Ancient, but B8 forced a third map with a 13-4 Inferno win before Natus Vincere finished them off 13-5 on Dust II. Then there was MOUZ, who dropped the opener to Legacy 13-9 on Dust II but recovered with wins on Inferno (13-10) and Mirage (13-4) to advance.

The Bracket Tightens Tuesday: Upper Brackets and Lower Bracket Fights Begin

Tuesday brings eight more matches that will reshape the tournament picture. In Group A upper-bracket semifinals, Team Vitality faces G2 Esports while Team Spirit takes on Team Falcons. The lower bracket action includes Red Canids against Gentle Mates and Team Liquid versus 3DMAX.

Group B upper-bracket semifinals pit FURIA against Natus Vincire and Aurora Gaming against MOUZ. The lower bracket sees Passion UA facing B8 and HOTU taking on Legacy.

The double-elimination format keeps teams alive even after a loss, but the upper-bracket winners get the shortest road to Friday's playoff semifinals. Group winners punch straight to the semis, runners-up enter the quarterfinals as high seeds, and third-place teams come in as low seeds. All that matters is Friday when single-elimination begins with a best-of-five grand final on Sunday deciding who takes home the $125,000 and bragging rights.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.