IEM Cologne 2025 Play-offs Viewer Guide: Who Has Chance to Meet in Grand Final?

The group stage is over, and we're heading into the IEM Cologne Play-offs, taking place from August 1st to 3rd. The semifinal spots are held by fairly expected names — Vitality and Spirit. As for the quarterfinalists, it’s refreshing to see FURIA here, a team that rarely makes the playoffs these days, along with the promising MongolZ, strong MOUZ, and the revamped NAVI. On August 1st, we’ll watch two matches with pretty predictable outcomes — but after that, it’s anyone’s game.

Here’s your full IEM Cologne 2025 Play-offs Viewer Guide: schedule, predictions, and where to watch!

IEM Cologne Schedule: Play-off

The IEM Cologne 2025 Playoffs will run from August 1st to 3rd, featuring a single-elimination bracket. Quarterfinals and semifinals will be played in a best-of-three format, while the grand final will be a best-of-five showdown.

The winner of the quarterfinal match between MongolZ and NAVI will face Spirit, while the winner of MOUZ vs FURIA will go up against Vitality.

It’s easy to say that the Grand Final matchup will be either Vitality vs MongolZ or Vitality vs Spirit. However, it's worth breaking down the teams and trying to predict as accurately as possible who will make it to the IEM Cologne final.

IEM Cologne Analysis

To break down all the IEM Cologne Play-off teams, we need to look at their form over the past year. For FURIA, this is only their third playoff appearance in 2025, with previous quarterfinal runs at IEM Rio 2024 and PGL Astana. They didn’t win either event, but just making it this far already feels like a win for the Brazilian squad — a confidence boost they badly need. Even if they somehow survive MOUZ, that’s likely the end of the road for them.

MOUZ could slip — they might drop focus on map two, give up a comeback, and lose the third. But realistically, this feels like a 2-0 for them. Mentally, they’re already preparing to face Vitality, and they’re not going to let FURIA get in the way.

Vitality is built to last. Right now, there’s no sign they’re slowing down, and it’s safe to say we’re on track to witness back-to-back Grand Slam Season titles from them. This is their tournament, with Vitality at the top of every CS2 ranking, and the odds of them losing are low. Who could actually stop them? Maybe MOUZ, but that squad still hasn’t fully matured into a team that can take down their biggest rival. Not at this IEM.

The MongolZ are riding a wave of unreal confidence. They genuinely believe they can beat Vitality — and why not? They already met them in the Austin Major grand final and are ready to do it again. That means there won’t be a miracle for NAVI this time. For Natus Vincere, just holding their ground as a shaky Tier-1 team after a forced roster change is already a small win. It’s good to see them in the playoffs, and I’ll be rooting for them until the end — but I’m confident MongolZ take this one.

Spirit is 90% likely to face the MongolZ, and they might actually lose. It’s the hardest matchup to predict in this bracket. Since their recent roster change, Spirit has improved their already solid form and avoided stagnation just in time. The MongolZ, on the other hand, are a fast-rising, confident squad that keeps gaining momentum and fans, though still less experienced than any other Tier-1 team here. That lack of experience might cost them under pressure, but I’m backing them to win. It just feels right to see the Major finalist story continue.

Where to Watch CS2 Tournament?

You can easily head over to the CS2 events section and pick any ongoing tournament to follow. It’s also a great place to check results from past events and dates for what’s coming next. The IEM Cologne 2025 playoff matches will be streamed live on the official channels of the tournament organizer. Whether you prefer Twitch or YouTube, the broadcasts will be identical — just pick your platform and enjoy the culmination of top-tier Counter-Strike.