After the end of IEM Rio 2026, the scene received not only another MVP medal for ZywOo, but also the full list of those who came closest to individual recognition at the tournament. HLTV published its selection of EVP players and the symbolic All-Star team, and this list gives a very good picture of who truly carried their rosters in Brazil — not only in the final, but across the entire distance of the event.
The MVP was obvious, but behind him there was still a tight group of top players
In ZywOo’s case, there was no real intrigue left. The Frenchman played the tournament at such a level that the question was no longer “who will take the MVP,” but rather “who will be the best after him.” That is exactly why the EVP list in Rio turned out to be especially interesting: it is effectively a ranking of those who also had a very strong tournament, but ran into one player who was simply above everyone else.
And it matters here that EVP in such a case is not a “consolation prize,” but a marker of a genuinely strong event. Especially when we are talking about a tournament on the level of IEM Rio, where by the later stages there are no weak opponents in principle.
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The full EVP list for IEM Rio 2026
The Exceptionally Valuable Players list at the end of the tournament included:
- m0NESY
- tN1R
- ropz
- yuurih
- donk
- KSCERATO
These six players, according to HLTV’s evaluation, were the strongest individual performers after ZywOo and had the biggest impact on their teams’ tournament runs.
m0NESY topped the EVP list and had one of the strongest tournaments of his career
If we are talking about the main “almost-MVP” of Rio, then it was m0NESY. His tournament looked like an extremely loud statement of individual greatness, even though Falcons ultimately did not reach the title.
The main strength of his performance was not only in peak matches, but in consistency. When a player holds an extremely high level almost throughout the entire tournament and again and again remains the brightest figure on his team, that automatically pushes him to the top of the individual standings. And that is exactly why m0NESY quite logically stands first here among all EVP players.
tN1R received what is probably the most important personal recognition of his recent period
For tN1R, this list carries separate weight. His performance in Rio can be read not simply as a good tournament, but as a very important personal breakthrough. He had long remained a player from whom more was expected on big stages, and it is here that the feeling finally appeared that he really can be not just a background part of Spirit, but one of the team’s engines.
His inclusion in the EVP list is not a случайная burst of hot weekly form, but rather a signal that Spirit are gaining another player capable of carrying the most important series not only on paper, but on stage.
ropz once again proved that in trophy matches he is almost always close to the top
In ropz’s case, it is already hard to be surprised. He simply did again what he has been doing regularly lately: he played a big tournament at a very high level and once again underlined that in Vitality he is not a secondary star, but one of the team’s main guarantee mechanisms of stability.
What looks especially valuable in his case is that even against the backdrop of a monstrous tournament from ZywOo, the Estonian still made it into the EVP list. And that means a very simple thing: in order to get noticed next to an MVP like that, you have to play an event at a truly elite level yourself.
yuurih and KSCERATO brought FURIA back into the conversation about the big level
For FURIA, this list is probably the most pleasant individual takeaway from the tournament. Two players from the team made the EVP list at once, and that shows very clearly on whom exactly their run into the top stages was built.
In yuurih’s case, this is about a return to the level at which people are used to expecting genuinely major impact from him. And KSCERATO, even if he was a more borderline case for the list, still earned his place thanks to very strong arena matches. Together, they gave FURIA not only a result, but also the feeling that the team can once again be dangerous not only to mid-level opponents, but to favorites as well.
donk made the list, but without the feeling of total domination
For donk, this EVP looks a little different than usual. He was still very strong, still produced superstar-level matches, but this time his tournament did not look like an unquestionable individual destruction of the field.
And that may even make his case more interesting. Even when donk is not tearing through a tournament “for zero,” even when he has dips against strong opponents, he still remains so impactful that he flies into the EVP list anyway. For almost anyone else, this would be the tournament of a lifetime. For donk, it is simply another strong event.
The symbolic All-Star team of IEM Rio 2026
Separately, HLTV also assembled the tournament’s All-Star five by roles. And the lineup turned out to be very telling:
- IGL: apEX
- AWPer: ZywOo
- Opener: donk
- Closer: tN1R
- Anchor: yuurih
This team is interesting because there is no total monopoly from the champions here. Yes, Vitality have two representatives on the list, but the remaining roles were distributed among other teams. And that reflects the tournament well: there was only one champion, but there were plenty of bright individual stories far beyond the winning finalist.
Why apEX made the All-Star team but did not reach EVP
An interesting nuance of this final summary is apEX’s presence in the All-Star team despite his absence from the EVP list. In reality, there is no contradiction here. His contribution as a captain, especially in defense and in utility work, was very noticeable, but it was not enough for EVP because of the overall tournament background and a less vivid statistical picture over the full distance.
In other words, HLTV here effectively separated two things: individual tournament power and value in a specific role. In the second component, apEX was strong enough to fully deserve a place in the symbolic lineup.
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IEM Rio 2026 left a very strong individual mark
The EVP and All-Star conclusions after IEM Rio 2026 show very well that the tournament will be remembered not only for another Vitality triumph and another medal for ZywOo. It also gave strong individual stories to m0NESY, tN1R, ropz, yuurih, donk, and KSCERATO — each of them, in his own way, was one of the faces of this event.
And the symbolic five of apEX, ZywOo, donk, tN1R, and yuurih only underlines the main point: in Rio there were not only champions and the defeated, but players who, regardless of final placement, genuinely shaped the individual face of the tournament.
