FaZe beat BIG at IEM Cologne 2025 Stage 1 Upper Bracket

FaZe opened their IEM Cologne 2025 campaign with a clean 2-0 win over BIG in the Stage 1 upper bracket. The international lineup closed out Inferno and Ancient without needing Dust2. Håvard "rain" Nygaard was named MVP with a 1.44 rating, while David "frozen" Čerňanský followed closely behind at 1.37. With the win, FaZe move on to face Team Liquid in the upper quarter-finals. BIG fall to the lower bracket and face elimination.

Map 1 – Inferno (13:7 FaZe)

BIG’s map pick started with promise, but FaZe took control with a strong 8:4 CT half. rain delivered early with a clean 4K hold on A site in Round 5, while frozen closed out the game with a 1v2 clutch. Krimbo put up resistance for BIG with a 1v2 post-plant win in Round 13, but his team couldn't convert the follow-ups.

Map 2 – Ancient (13:9 FaZe)

FaZe picked up a 9:3 lead on their T side, consistently breaking through mid control. BIG mounted a short comeback on defense, but FaZe closed the map with strong utility holds and decisive entries. frozen and broky combined for critical multi-kills, and karrigan delivered key mid-round calls to shut down BIG’s rotations.

FaZe advance to face Team Liquid in the upper bracket quarter-finals. BIG drop to the lower bracket and await the loser of an upcoming elimination match. Elsewhere in the bracket, 3DMAX, NiP, and Virtus.pro also secured opening wins.

IEM Cologne 2025 is held in Cologne, Germany, with a $1,000,000 prize pool. Stage 1 runs from July 22–25, followed by Stage 2 from July 26–28. Playoffs start July 30. The top prize is $400,000, second place earns $180,000, and third place takes home $80,000.