Astralis vs B8 – IEM Cologne 2025 Stage 1 Upper Bracket

Astralis advanced to the upper quarter-finals of IEM Cologne 2025 with a 2–0 victory over B8. The Danish team secured convincing wins on Mirage and Inferno to close out the best-of-three. Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard led the server with 42 kills and a 1.58 rating, earning the MVP nod. Astralis will face FURIA in the next stage, while B8 drop to the lower bracket to play FlyQuest.

Map 1 – Mirage (13:2 Astralis)

B8 picked Mirage but were shut down early. Astralis controlled the first half 10–2 with strong CT setups and standout individual plays. device secured a 1v2 clutch in round 3, and stavn delivered a clean 4K hold on Mid. jabbi topped the scoreboard with 19 kills and high-impact plays, as Astralis closed out the second half in just three rounds.

Map 2 – Inferno (16:12 Astralis)

Astralis picked Inferno and found themselves in a closer fight. They edged out the first half 7–5, and while B8 responded with several rounds on their T-side, Astralis forced overtime after a late 5–7 half. stavn came up big with back-to-back clutches, including a 1v3 on T-side, while device delivered a 4K AWP hold in a late-round save. Astralis swept overtime 4–0 to seal the map 16–12.

Astralis move on to play FURIA in the upper bracket quarter-finals. B8 will play their elimination match against FlyQuest in the lower bracket. Other results from the opening round include wins for FaZe, Liquid, GamerLegion, and Ninjas in Pyjamas.

IEM Cologne 2025 is hosted in Cologne, Germany, and features three stages: Stage 1 (July 23–24), Stage 2 (July 25–28), and the playoffs at LANXESS Arena (August 1–3). The tournament offers a $1,000,000 prize pool, with $400,000 for first place, $180,000 for second, and $80,000 for third.