IEM Rio 2024: Team Liquid's turbulent path to qualifying

The IEM Rio 2024 lineup has finally been fully determined with the recent conclusion of the North American qualifiers that saw Team Liquid edge out a victory over the formidable Brazilian side, Team Legacy.

This being the final available slot for the $250,000 tournament has really upped the stakes, leading to some intense moments in the lead-up to the epic final. The 16 teams have finally been selected, and now all we can do is wait as the highly anticipated IEM Rio beckons.

Confidence in Team Liquid has certainly been a bit shaky in recent months, with their road to qualifying for IEM Rio doing little to earn the faith of fans. The current team is a far cry from the juggernauts they once were, with their consistent top performances dwindling significantly and their match threat being almost non-existent.

Team Liquid’s struggle to qualify

With the team moving from Europe to North America with the sole intention of nabbing the final qualification spot for IEM Rio 2024, fans were expecting a smooth ride to qualifying—something that didn’t come to pass as the team were faced with a massive hurdle in the form of Team Legacy. Team Liquid first faced off against FLUFFY AIMERS, who didn’t pose much of a threat to their IEM Rio dreams as they dispatched them with relative ease in the Upper Bracket Semifinals.

img: PGL RMR America Day 4 – src:(PGL | [Uncredited])

The major challenge for Team Liquid came when they encountered Team Legacy, who, despite not being favorites to win, managed to beat them. This loss frustrated their campaign greatly, and left fans livid, as this was a matchup that Liquid were never supposed to struggle in, let alone lose. The popular sentiment was that both teams looked horrendous, but liquid were just shockingly worse. If it weren’t for Legacy throwing away rounds, the match would’ve been a 2-0 blowout as opposed to the 2-1 final result.

This loss demoted Team Liquid to the lower bracket, where they had to claw their way back into contention by facing FLUFFY AIMERS once again. To further reiterate how little of a threat FLUFFY AIMERS posed, Team Liquid thrashed them once again, securing a spot in the final against Legacy.

Team Liquid eventually found their footing in the final and managed to muster a convincing win over the initially troublesome Team Legacy. The win meant a lot to the team, evoking emotions from their team leader, Russell “Twistzz” Van Dulken, who shared the following on his X (formerly Twitter) account:

Qualified for IEM Rio!

Well played to legacy in both games. Amazing that we add to our calender for the rest of the season.

Some more days of prac before proleague starts 🙏

— Russel van Dulken (@Twistzz) September 2, 2024

IEM Rio 2024 Confirmed Lineup

With the final round of qualifiers coming to a close, the IEM Rio 2024 lineup is finally complete. This is how the definitive lineup for IEM Rio 2024 looks like now: