IEM Chengdu 2025: Brazil Is on Top Again

IEM Chengdu 2025 became one of the key tournaments of the autumn Counter-Strike 2 season and held particular significance as part of the ESL Grand Slam VI series. The event took place from November 3 to 9 in Chengdu, China, bringing together the world’s top teams. Despite Vitality entering as the clear favorite, it was FURIA who claimed the championship title with a confident 3:0 victory in the grand final. The tournament highlighted the high level of competition across regions and proved that the Brazilian squad is ready to fight for the biggest trophies of the year.

Start of IEM Chengdu 2025: Key Facts and Expectations

IEM Chengdu 2025 was held from November 3 to 9 at the Chengdu Financial City Performing Arts Center. Teams competed for a $300,000 prize pool, with the winners taking home $125,000 and valuable points in the ESL Grand Slam race — a prize ultimately claimed by FURIA. The event featured stacked rosters, and Vitality were seen as the clear pre-tournament favorites. However, they were unexpectedly swept 3:0 in the grand final by FURIA.

The event also saw its share of disappointments. NAVI were eliminated in the group stage after losses to Astralis and HEROIC, while Falcons reached the semifinals but fell to the eventual champions. In the third-place match, they were defeated by MOUZ. Overall, the Chengdu tournament showed that the Brazilian scene is resurging, while many of Europe’s elite teams are still searching for stability in the new CS2 era.

Group Stage of IEM Chengdu 2025

The group stage of IEM Chengdu 2025 featured two groups of eight — Groups A and B. Group A included The MongolZ, HEROIC, Astralis, NAVI, Team Falcons, TYLOO, paiN, and Team Spirit, while Group B consisted of FURIA, Lynn Vision, 3DMAX, G2, MOUZ, FaZe Clan, Virtus.pro, and Vitality. The format followed the traditional double-elimination structure, with three teams from each group advancing to the playoffs.

Group A unfolded without major upsets. The MongolZ overcame HEROIC (2:1), Falcons comfortably beat TYLOO (2:0), and Spirit proved stronger than paiN (2:0). The biggest surprise came when NAVI lost to Astralis (1:2), pushing the CIS powerhouse into the lower bracket. Falcons and Astralis both secured playoff spots through the upper bracket, while HEROIC eliminated NAVI (2:1). The MongolZ impressed by defeating Spirit and paiN, finishing their run on a high note.

Group B went largely as expected but still produced some drama. FURIA dismantled Lynn Vision (2:0), G2 beat 3DMAX (2:0), MOUZ took down FaZe Clan (2:0), and Virtus.pro managed to take a map off Vitality before losing 1:2. In the upper bracket semifinals, MOUZ overcame Vitality (2:1), while FURIA convincingly beat G2. These two teams were the first to secure playoff spots. Meanwhile, Vitality bounced back through the lower bracket, sweeping G2 (2:0) and advancing further, reaffirming their contender status.

Playoffs of IEM Chengdu 2025

The playoffs began with a dominant showing from FURIA, who easily defeated The MongolZ 2:0. In the second quarterfinal, Astralis put up a fight against Vitality, even taking a map in overtime, but the French squad ultimately prevailed to join the final four alongside Falcons and MOUZ.

In the semifinals, FURIA continued their rampage, comfortably dispatching Falcons and sending them to the third-place decider. The second semifinal between Vitality and MOUZ was far more intense. After losing the first map, MOUZ equalized by winning Train 13:11, but Vitality closed out the series on Inferno to secure their grand final berth.

The grand final was the tournament’s crown jewel. Vitality entered as favorites, boasting the star duo of ZywOo and ropz, but FURIA showed no fear. After a tight battle on Ancient (13:11), the Brazilians took the lead. On Inferno, Vitality started strong but FURIA seized control and closed it out 13:10. The third map followed a similar pattern — Vitality began better, yet FURIA kept their composure to complete a dominant 3:0 sweep.

MVP and Breakout Player

The MVP of IEM Chengdu 2025 was FURIA’s AWPer molodoy. The Kazakh sniper delivered a phenomenal tournament, earning his second HLTV MVP award and cementing his role as the team’s new superstar. His first MVP title came at FISSURE Playground 2, where FURIA also triumphed — Chengdu simply reinforced his growing reputation.

Across 14 maps, molodoy posted a 1.27 rating, displaying remarkable consistency, composure, and impact in clutch situations. His performance was instrumental to FURIA’s success — time and again, his decisive sniping turned the tide of rounds and boosted his team’s confidence. With this result, molodoy has firmly established himself among the brightest young talents in the CS2 scene.

Conclusion

The victory at IEM Chengdu 2025 marked an important milestone for FURIA, as the team officially began its race for the ESL Grand Slam VI and the $1,000,000 grand prize. The sensational 3:0 win over Vitality in the best-of-five final proved that FURIA is ready to compete with the world’s elite and perform confidently on the biggest stage. It’s been only six months since the roster became international, yet FURIA has already claimed its third tier-one title, showcasing consistency and excellent team synergy.

FalleN and his squad have shown that they can defeat even the strongest opponents. If they can maintain this form, FURIA will be among the top contenders for the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, which kicks off on November 24. Notably, throughout his entire career, FalleN has lost a best-of-five final only once — a 0:3 defeat to fnatic at IEM Katowice 2016. Up next, the Brazilians will face another challenge at BLAST Rivals Fall 2025 (November 12–16), where Vitality will surely seek revenge.