IEM Cologne 2025 heats up as the final six teams square off for a chance to punch their ticket to the finals.
The battle continues at the “Cathedral of Counter-Strike.” Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Cologne 2025 heats up as the final six teams square off for a chance to punch their ticket to the finals on Sunday, August 3rd. The IEM Cologne 2025 journey was long and brutal, and anything can happen in the halls of the LANXESS Arena of Cologne, Germany. Losing is not an option on the world stage, as the best of the best Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) players duke it out for the $1,000,000 USD prize.
Starting off the early Friday matches, the two IEM Cologne 2025 quarter-final games between MOUZ and FURIA will ignite the stadium as NAVI goes up against The MongolZ. The winner between MOUZ and FURIA will face Team Vitality in the semi-finals, and the winner of NAVI versus The MongolZ matchup will take on Team Spirit. FURIA’s fighting spirit and resurgence continue to drive them, as MOUZ have already been on a winning streak. MOUZ was only stopped by the ferocious Team Vitality, whose signs of slowing down are non-existent. MOUZ is the frontrunner team, but FURIA is able to cling to dear life—even after dropping a match against G2 Esports early in the elimination brackets.
Meanwhile, NAVI and The MongolZ are ready to show off what they do best. The MongolZ have once again proved their consistency time and time again, and are pitted against a NAVI who are playing around newcomer Makazze. Both teams are methodical, so finding the early lead will be the key to victory. However, both sides will not go down without a grueling skirmish. NAVI needs to vanquish The MongolZ for a shot at a rematch against Team Vitality, who beat them at IEM Cologne 2024.
As for the final winner, Team Vitality is slated to win IEM Cologne 2025—defending their title at the biggest CS2 event of the year. Whether it is FURIA or MOUZ advancing to face Team Vitality, both teams will be going through the gauntlet to take down the giants. Team Spirit is no joke either, as NAVI or The MongolZ will have to face the Russian might of Donk. If Team Vitality and Team Spirit can hold on to their undefeated streak, they could put on a very entertaining match. Team Spirit will have to bring everything in their arsenal to end Team Vitality’s ever-growing trophy case. Still, it can be anyone’s game, and upsets are almost always expected.
Be sure to catch all the IEM Cologne 2025 action on ESL’s Twitch and YouTube Live channels, or on the HLTV broadcast. CGMagazine will be at the LANXESS Arena in Cologne, catching all the CS2 action. Also, stop by the Intel booth to check out their latest lineups of powerful processors, such as the latest Intel Core Ultra 200HX and 200S series. This series takes the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 AI, Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10, and Gigabyte AORUS Master 16 to the next level! If you want to play like the pros, Intel is showcasing the Acer Predator Orion 7000—the official IEM tournament PC.
