After a short break after the BLAST.tv Austin Major, the global CS2 esports stage is back in action and has begun the second half of the 2025 season. IEM Cologne 2025 will be the first event post-Major to bring together the best teams from around the world.
Making Waves Before the Group Stage
While the entire world watches, the Play-Ins 16 teams fight for a spot at what is often known as the Counter-Strike cathedral. Before the Play-Ins start, find out the main storylines with the teams looking to forge their legacies.
Team Liquid’s Quest for Redemption
Team Liquid have struggled for consistency in the 2025 season and have not placed higher than the top six in any tournament. The squad hopes to turn their campaign around at the IEM Cologne event.
After a successful try-out, Kamil ‘Siuhy’ Szkaradek took over as the in-game leader. However, their change in leadership led to a loss against Sashi Esport and that meant a miss to ESL Pro League Season 22. Shortly after the finish line of the LANXESS Arena, there is room for rejuvenation, although the first hurdle is a tough game against PaiN Gaming. An Austin Major Playoffs run would make the Brazil squad the top South American team if they take down Liquid this weekend. Winning in Team Liquid’s first-round opponents’ offer Liquid a pathway to the Group Stage as well as an opportunity to make it to the Playoffs against either BIG or FaZe Clan next.
TYLOO’s Journey to International Prominence
The Chinese presence in Counter-Strike 2 is growing quickly, helped by TYLOO’s international results. Recently, professional esports team TYLOO won at the FISSURE Playground 1. They once again showed their potential against global rivals with this win. While the playoffs were played with coach stand-ins until Ji ‘Jee’ Dongkai returned for the semi-final, the team still managed to clinch the title. Yi ‘JamYoung’ Yang’s MVP performance has given the team a lot of momentum heading into their first match against Virtus.pro. A strong showing here from TYLOO could put them in the top ten of the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) and their ticket to the Budapest Major.
FaZe Clan’s Search for Consistency
FaZe Clan’s trajectory this year has been a roller coaster. PGL Bucharest third-place finish proved a stepping stone. The team had Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyljev for IEM Dallas and the Austin Major but lost to The MongolZ in the quarter-finals. They had some success here. As Cologne Looms, Helvijs ‘broky’ Saukants Returns to Main Roster to Bring FaZe Back to their Best A first match against BIG is a tough assignment, but overcoming it might restore some of FaZe’s lost confidence, a confidence that used to make them such a great team.
Contenders Eyeing the IEM Cologne 2025 Group Stage
The Play-Ins feature many talented teams from Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania who are all fighting for one of eight Group Stage spots. The experienced rosters of FaZe Clan along with FURIA are the top favourites. Meanwhile, the rising form of TYLOO and Astralis enhance their chances of qualifying.
Esports analysts anticipate the following teams to advance.
- FaZe Clan.
- PaiN Gaming.
- TYLOO.
- FURIA.
- Astralis.
- HEROIC.
- B8.
- Team Liquid.
Watching IEM Cologne 2025
For those eager to witness the Play-In action, the matches will be broadcast on the ESL Twitch and YouTube channels, ensuring fans worldwide can engage with the excitement of IEM Cologne 2025.