FaZe vs Liquid – IEM Cologne 2025 Stage 1 Group B Lower Bracket Round 1

FaZe Clan cruised past Team Liquid with a clean 2–0 sweep in Group B lower bracket round 1 at IEM Cologne 2025. The international roster delivered dominant performances on both Mirage and Ancient, with rain and frozen leading the charge. With this result, FaZe eliminate Liquid from Stage 1 and advance further in the lower bracket, keeping their playoff hopes alive.

Map 1 – Mirage (13:6 FaZe)

FaZe took early control on Mirage, Liquid ’s map pick, with a strong CT side. rain was everywhere on the server, ending the map with 31 kills, 111.6 ADR, and a 1.72 rating. broky and frozen supported the tempo with well-timed rotations and utility usage. Liquid’s executes fell flat as they managed only six rounds.

Map 2 – Ancient (13:2 FaZe)

Ancient was total domination from FaZe. The team stormed to a 10:2 T-side half before closing out the match with clean defense. frozen shined with a +20 K/D, 84.5 ADR, and 1.58 rating, while karrigan led calmly from the front. Liquid had no answers, with Twistzz and NAF combining for just 20 kills across both maps.

Standout Performers

• rain (FaZe): 31–19 K-D, 111.6 ADR, 1.72 rating
• frozen (FaZe): 33–13 K-D, 84.5 ADR, 1.58 rating
• EliGE (FaZe): 33–20 K-D, 101.7 ADR, 1.65 rating

On the Liquid side, NertZ was the only player to maintain near-even stats (0.99 rating), while other key members underperformed in critical moments.

FaZe survive elimination and advance to the next round of Group B’s lower bracket. Liquid exit the event early and will look to regroup ahead of future tournaments.

IEM Cologne 2025 is held in Cologne, Germany, from July 23 to August 3. Stage 1 features a double-elimination group format (July 23–25), followed by Stage 2 and the Playoffs in LANXESS Arena. The tournament boasts a $1,000,000 prize pool, with $400,000 for the champion, $180,000 for second place, and $80,000 for third.