IEM Rio 2026: vs HOTU

After yesterday’s loss to FURIA (13 : 3 Mirage, 4 : 13 Dust 2, 13 : 16 Nuke), NAVI have no room for error left in the IEM Rio 2026 group stage. To reach the playoffs, the team needs to secure two consecutive wins.

Their first opponent on this path will be HOTU. The match kicks off at 17:30 CEST and will be played in a best-of-3 format. The last time these teams met was in October last year at ESL Pro League Season 22, where NAVI claimed a confident 2–0 victory (13 : 7 Ancient, 13 : 9 Train).

HOTU are currently ranked 40th in the Valve ranking (37th by HLTV).

In their previous matches, HOTU lost to Aurora (0–2), but managed to bounce back in the lower bracket with a surprising win over Legacy (2–0).

We hope NAVI can secure a win today and advance to the decisive match for a playoff spot against the winner of Aurora vs B8. Support the team on the broadcast!