ESL reveals 2020 Rio Minor closed qualifier invited teams
ESL released the list invitees for the closed qualifiers for the ESL One Rio Minor today. These invited teams will face those that qualify through the open qualifiers for a spot in the Valve-sponsored tournament Minors.
The closed qualifiers are the first list of invites that are based on ESL’s controversial ranking system that operates independently from HLTV’s World Rankings. For ESL’s Pro Tour, the tournament organizer has created its own list, separate from the current HLTV standard.
The tournament organizer has invited teams from all major regions, but not all regions are equal in the number of teams invited. North America, Europe, and the CIS regions each feature eight invited teams. South America, Oceania, East Asia, China, SEA, and the ME regions have four invited teams each.
Cloud9, Fnatic headline ESL One Rio Minor Closed Qualifier list
The lists include some notable names like Cloud9 and Fnatic, both of which failed to make last year’s StarLadder Berlin Major.
The closed qualifiers for North America, Europe, and the CIS region will fill their final slots with eight teams from the open qualifiers. The dates for the three largest open qualifiers are as follows:
- Europe: January 31 to February 1, February 4-5, February 8-9, February 12-13
- North America: January 31 to February 1, February 4-5, February 8-9, February 12-13
- CIS: February 2-3, February 6-7, February 10-11, February 14-15
More information on both the open and closed qualifier process can be found on ESL’s official blog on the topic.
Here’s the list of the teams invited by ESL to the closed qualifier portion of the tournament:
Europe
- Fnatic
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- Heroic
- MAD Lions
- GODSENT
- OG
- Movistar Riders
- Team Heretics
North America
- FURIA Esports
- Cloud9
- eUnited
- New Identity
- INTZ eSports
- Gen.G
- Riot Squad
- Triumph
- Chaos Esports Club
CIS
- forZe
- Team Spirit
- Hard Legion
- Gambit Esports
- Syman Gaming
- pro100
- HellRaisers
- Winstrike Team
South America
- INTZ eSports
- DETONA Gaming
- Isurus Gaming
- Sharks Esports
Oceania
- Renegades
- ORDER
- AVANT
- ex-Genuine Gaming
East Asia
- AUGUST
- MVP
- Absolute
- Mazaalai
China
- TYLOO
- Vici Gaming
- Rising-Stars
- Lynn Vision
SEA
- Bren
- BTRG
- Lucid Dream
- Alpha Red
Middle East
- NASR
- Yalla
- og3od
- Goliath Gaming
The ESL One Rio Major will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from May 11 to May 24 and is the first Major tournament to be hosted in the region.
M Alzamora
About M Alzamora
There are few things that writer M Alzamora loves more in life than Pokemon. And there are even fewer things that she loves more than her favorite Pokemon, Eevee. But M’s appreciation for gaming isn’t just limited to Nintendo’s famous pocket monsters. She’s interested in every type of game across every genre of gaming, and she has the credentials to prove it. M’s work has also been seen on Working Classicists and gaming sites.
View full profile
Read Also
Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Stage 3 Pick’Em Predictions
Owen Harsono
It’s that time of the year again, as the next Counter-Strike 2 Major is right around the corner. The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is set to start on June 2, meaning you still have some time to lock in your Pick’Em predictions. The Pick’Em Challenge is one of the most exciting parts of the CS2 Majors, as it allows you to test your knowledge and predict which teams make it ...
Counter-Strike
Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major
Owen Harsono
It was pretty weird seeing Team Spirit having to start the IEM Cologne Major from Stage 2, but they quickly proved why that was a mistake. With donk shooting on all fronts, the Eastern Europeans speed ran the competition to book their spot in Stage 3. With how they’ve been playing, it’s hard not to wonder whether they can actually win the entire thing. These boys can sometimes be known ...
Counter-Strike
BIG pull off 0-12 comeback to stay alive – IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 recap
Owen Harsono
We’ve just witnessed arguably the worst choke in Counter-Strike Major history, and we’re only on the first stage of the IEM Cologne Major. If you didn’t tune into the Stage 1 matches, here’s what you need to know heading into Stage 2. Many fans tend to underestimate Stage 1 teams for fair reasons, but some survivors in this tournament look extremely promising. Two Eastern European teams, BetBoom Team and B8, ...
Counter-Strike
Who will win the IEM Cologne Major 2026?
Owen Harsono
If you’re looking to play it safe and back one team at the Counter-Strike 2 IEM Cologne 2026 Major, traders prediction markets platforms have a clear frontrunner – it’s Team Vitality. But if it’s not meant to be, there are a few other candidates that could lift the trophy. Here’s what traders on Polymarket and Kalshi think. If you haven’t been watching CS2 this year and are only jumping on ...
Counter-Strike
The 10 best CS2 players who have never won a Major
Owen Harsono
In Counter-Strike, winning a Major immediately puts you into legend status. It’s an achievement that proves you won the game’s biggest trophy. However, there have been some really good players that could never get their hands on the biggest trophy that Counter-Strike esports has to offer. Here is WIN.gg's list of best CS2 players who have never won a Major. ScreaM is one of Counter-Strike's most famous players for one ...
Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026: All the teams, favorites, and outright betting odds
Owen Harsono
Mark your calendars, as the IEM Cologne Major kicks off on June 2, 2026. We’re going to see the best teams in the world compete, but which ones are actually favored to take the title? This will be the first time in 10 years that IEM Cologne will return as a Counter-Strike Major, so the stakes this year are much higher than they’ve been in a decade. In this guide, ...
Esports Betting
All IEM Cologne winners and rosters in Counter-Strike history
Owen Harsono
IEM Cologne is one of Counter-Strike’s biggest events, happening every single year. Some seasons, the event is labeled as one of Valve’s two Counter-Strike Majors of the year, but if not, still stands as one of the big events every player chases to win. With the IEM Cologne 2026 Major right around the corner, let’s take a trip down memory lane and check out every single winner of the tournament, ...