In the final match of the IEM Rio Major Challengers Stage, Fnatic defeated 9z with a score of 2-0, winning Mirage (16-11) and Nuke (16-14) after recovering from a 5-13 deficit on the second map. The path taken by William "mezii" Merriman and their team to the Legends Stage got off to a strong start with victories over OG and Cloud9. The European combo struggled to advance after they entered the BO3 matches, falling to MOUZ and Outsiders to fall into the 2-2 pool. Making the most of their final opportunity, they defeated the South American squad to advance to the final team on the Legends Stage.
Before 9z could respond, Fnatic won the pistol and quickly raced to a 5-0 lead in the first round of Mirage on the CT side. First-half dominance by Fnatic was led by Dion "FASHR" Derksen, who stood out with his 21 defensive frags.