Gentle Mates, RED Canids and HOTU quailfy for IEM Rio 2026

The trio of Gentle Mates, RED Canids, and HOTU have secured places at IEM Rio 2026 through the Counter-Strike 2 event’s closed qualifier.

Gentle Mates and HOTU advanced through the global qualifier, while RED Canids earned its place through the South American qualifier.

Following the early eliminations of Fnatic and BC.GAME, HOTU navigated its way through the upper bracket with victories over Gentle Mates and 9INE, setting up an upper bracket final clash against BetBoom Team.

David ‘n0rbe3r7‘ Danielyan led the charge in the best-of-three as HOTU secured a 2-0 sweep to book its place in the main event alongside some of Counter-Strike’s powerhouse rosters.

Gentle Mates battled through the lower bracket, taking down Team Nemesis, Ursa, and 9INE to join BetBoom Team in the lower bracket final for a chance to secure the final place from the global qualifier. Both sides won their respective map picks to force an Overpass decider, where Gentle Mates emerged victorious to qualify.

For RED Canids, the South American side bested Sharks Esports, Imperial Esports, and BESTIA on its way to the Grand Final. BESTIA made it to the Grand Final through the lower bracket and began the best-of-three with victory on Nuke to move within one map of qualification. RED Canids bounced back with wins on Ancient and Inferno to complete a 2-1 series victory to secure its first Tier 1 appearance of 2026.

Following the conclusion of the online qualifiers, the full IEM Rio 2026 is as follows:

Taking place from April 13th to 19th, 2026, the 16 teams will compete for a share of $300,000 (~£219,475) in prize money and Valve Regional Standings (VRS) points. For Gentle Mates, RED Canids, and HOTU, competing in Rio is an opportunity to climb the rankings and earn a place at the IEM Cologne Major taking place in June.