The esports scene is heating up with the start of the IEM Melbourne 2025, a Tier S international CS2 championship. Two Brazilian teams, paiN Gaming and MIBR, are among the 16 squads competing for a $1 million prize pool. The event kicked off on Sunday and will run until next Sunday, featuring a double-elimination format with all series, except the final, played as best-of-three matches.
Competing Teams and Group Stage
The 16 teams are divided into two groups, A and B. Group A includes paiN Gaming, MOUZ, GamerLegion, The MongolZ, FaZe, 3DMAX, Complexity, and BIG. Group B features MIBR, NaVi, Vitality, Team Liquid, Falcons, Virtus.pro, SAW, and FlyQuest. The group stage is already underway, with some matches completed. In Group A, FaZe beat paiN Gaming 2-0, MOUZ edged BIG 2-1, GamerLegion dominated 3DMAX 2-0, and The MongolZ took down Complexity 2-1. In Group B, NaVi narrowly defeated MIBR 2-1, Vitality shut out FlyQuest 2-0, Team Liquid beat Virtus.pro 2-1, and Falcons outplayed SAW 2-0.
Prize Pool and Broadcast Details
The $1 million prize pool is one of the largest of the year, with the winning team likely to take home a significant share. The matches are being played in Melbourne, Australia, which means they start around 10:15 PM BrasÃlia time and run until 6 AM the next day. Fans can catch the action live on various esports platforms.