Welcome to all esports and Counter-Strike 2 fans! From July 23 to August 3, 2025, one of the biggest summer tournaments — IEM Cologne 2025 — is taking place. As of July 27, the Upper Bracket Semifinals and Lower Bracket Quarterfinals of the Group Stage are underway. Among the matches, we highlight Vitality vs G2, which promises to be a very exciting clash. While the teams are preparing, we’ll share our CS2 betting tips and match preview.
How the bookies view it: Vitality favorite
Most bookmakers unanimously consider Vitality the favorite in the match against G2 Esports, giving the latter almost no chance. Although Vitality is one of the strongest teams this season, we shouldn't jump to conclusions, as G2 is also a well-known organization with plenty of high-level victories under its belt.
Vitality form. What result can be expected from Vitality
Our CS2 betting prediction for the Vitality vs. G2 Esports matchup begin with analyzing Vitality form. After the triumphant Paris Major, Vitality said goodbye to Dupreeh, and flameZ took his place. The ‘newcomer’ Vitality has already managed to adapt and demonstrates a good level of play and has good statistics. By the way, he started his ascent to the big stage with OG.
Vitality roster: apEX, ZywOo, mezii, ropz, flameZ.
Let's begin the story of the team with the 2023 season. In their debut match at IEM Cologne 2023, Vitality confirmed their status as one of the strongest Counter-Strike teams. After defeating OG, Vitality went up against MOUZ, whom the "Bees" crushed with scores of 16-4 and 16-5.
In the playoff seeding match, Vitality faced another top-tier team — G2 Esports. It was a close match, with Vitality narrowly taking a 19-17 win on Inferno in overtime, but then losing 10-16 on Vertigo and 8-16 on Mirage. In the playoffs, Vitality played against Cloud9 and came out victorious, but were then eliminated in the semifinals by ENCE with a 1-2 scoreline.
Finishing in the top 4 at IEM Cologne didn’t discourage Vitality — on the contrary, it only fueled their motivation. By the end of the year, the team secured three more titles: they took revenge on ENCE in the grand final of Gamers8 and defeated FaZe twice at BLAST events (Fall Final 2023 and World Final 2023).
Vitality kicked off the 2024 season in high spirits. Before participating in the PGL CS2 Copenhagen Major 2024: European RMR B, the team competed in BLAST Premier: Spring Groups, where they had no trouble advancing through the group stage. At the RMR event,
Vitality easily defeated GamerLegion and Heroic, dropping only 5 rounds across two maps. However, they then suffered a setback with a loss to Cloud9 but bounced back with a win over ENCE to secure a spot at the Major.
At the first Major tournament of the season — PGL CS2 Copenhagen Major 2024 — Vitality reached the top 4 but were eliminated by FaZe Clan. They then took part in ESL Pro League Season 19, where they again confidently made it to the grand final, though were decisively defeated by MOUZ.
At IEM Dallas 2024 — one of the key tournaments ahead of EWC 2024 — Vitality started strong with a win over Monte and then easily beat G2 Esports. However, in the playoff seeding match, they unexpectedly lost 0-2 to 9z Team. In the playoffs themselves, they performed much better, defeating Heroic 2-0 and then Spirit, but ultimately losing to G2 Esports in the final.
Before participating in the Esports World Cup 2024, Vitality competed at BLAST Premier: Spring Final, where they placed in the top 4. At EWC 2024, Vitality started successfully with a win over M80, securing direct advancement to the playoffs.
At the "Riyadh Major," Vitality finished in the top 8 — a result that was below expectations for the team. However, they proved their elite status by winning Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2024. At the end of the season, they played at PW Shanghai Major 2024, where they made it to the main stage but were knocked out in the very first round by FaZe.
After that, the team played at such tournaments as IEM Katowice 2025, BLAST Open Lisbon 2025, IEM Melbourne 2025, BLAST Rivals Season 1 and IEM Dallas 2025 and won all of them, keeping their winning streak alive. It’s also worth highlighting the team’s victory at the Blast.tv Austin Major 2025. Thus, Vitality’s winning streak at S-tier tournaments now totals 8 wins.
At IEM Cologne 2025, Vitality defeated Astralis 2-0 in their opening match and are moving forward in pursuit of more victories.
G2 Esports form. What result can be expected from G2 Esports
We continue our Betting tips with an analysis of G2 Esports form. G2is one of the most well-known European Counter-Strike 2 organizations, regularly competing at the S-tier level and achieving notable success. At BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, the team is aiming to showcase its best game and prove they are still championship contenders.
G2 roster: huNter-, hades, HeavyGod, SunPayus, matys
To understand the full range of G2 Esports skills, let’s start with their 2023 season. The team participated in a significant number of tournaments, with the first major one being ESL Pro League Season 18. G2 began with a confident 2:0 victory over Lynn Vision, although they came dangerously close to losing the first map. They advanced to the playoffs and reached the quarterfinals, where they faced MOUZ. The "Mice" defeated G2 and later went on to become EPL S18 champions.
Before participating in the BLAST Premier: World Final 2023, G2 competed in two more tournaments: the BLAST Premier: Fall European Showdown 2023 and IEM Sydney 2023. On both occasions, they finished in the top 4. While respectable, these results showed that the team had the potential to achieve even more.
Ahead of the PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024 Europe RMR, G2 took part in three high-level events: BLAST Premier: World Final 2023, BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2024, and IEM Katowice 2024. They finished in the top 6 in all three, gradually approaching peak form.
At the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024: European RMR A, G2 finally broke through and secured a top-2 finish, earning a Legends slot at the Copenhagen Major. At the main event, they reached the playoffs and placed in the top 4, losing in the semifinals to the eventual champions — NaVi.
At IEM China 2024, the "Samurai" — as the team is also called — finished in the top 4 again. At ESL Pro League Season 19, they made it to the top 8, once again falling to the eventual winners, MOUZ.
At IEM Dallas 2024, G2 claimed a grand final victory over Vitality with a 2:1 scoreline. They also competed at BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2024, finishing in the top 8.
At one of the year’s most prestigious tournaments — the Esports World Cup 2024 — G2 started strong with a win over MongolZ and followed it up with a 2:1 victory against Team Spirit. They then beat Virtus.pro, but once again fell to NaVi in the grand final (1:2).
In ESL Pro League Season 20, G2 topped Group B, comfortably defeating all their opponents. In the playoffs, they reached the quarterfinals and beat Team Liquid, but were eliminated in the top 4 after another loss to NaVi — who would go on to win the event.
Later, G2 got their revenge on NaVi by defeating them in the final of BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2024. However, they couldn’t sustain the winning streak and ended up in 13th–16th place at IEM Rio Masters 2024.
G2 rebounded at the BLAST Premier: World Final 2024, where they secured another trophy with a dominant 3:0 win over Team Spirit in the final.
The team also participated in the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024. They reached the playoffs and defeated FaZe Clan, but lost to Heroic and finished in the top 4.
In the 2025 season, G2 Esports took part in the BLAST Bounty Spring 2025, where they again secured a top-4 finish after losing to FaZe. They also placed in the top 4 at IEM Katowice 2025 and qualified for the playoffs at ESL Pro League Season 21, though they failed to progress further.
After significant roster changes when m0NESY and NiKo left the team, G2 took part in BLAST Open Spring 2025, finished in the top 6 and took top 2 at PGL Bucharest 2025.
At the Blast.tv Austin Major 2025, G2 delivered a mediocre performance. The team secured a few wins and finished in 9th-11th place.
At IEM Cologne 2025, G2 Esports defeated FURIA 2-0 in their opening match and are now ready to face their strongest opponent, Vitality, for a spot in the Upper Bracket Final.
Recent head to head
Throughout their history, Vitality and G2 Esports have faced each other 24 times, with each team securing 12 victories. Their matchup can be considered a matter of principle, and it is at IEM Cologne 2025 that one of them will break the tie and advance to the Upper Bracket Final of the Group Stage.
Which maps does Vitality pick and ban most often?
Let’s analyze both teams map statistics in 2025 to make smart CS2 tips.
Strong maps
- Dust2: high win percentage (88.9%) with 18 matches played.
- Train: high win percentage (88.9%) with 9 matches played.
- Inferno: high win percentage (85.7%) with 21 matches played.
Average results
- Nuke: average winning percentage (84.2%) with 19 matches played.
- Anubis: average winning percentage (75.0%) with 8 matches played.
- Mirage: average winning percentage (72.2%) with 18 matches played.
Which maps does G2 pick and ban most often?
Strong maps
- Inferno: high win percentage (70.6%) with 17 matches played.
- Dust2: high win percentage (64.7%) with 17 matches played.
- Mirage: stable win percentage (54.4%) with 11 matches played.
Average results
- Ancient: average winning percentage (50.0%) with 14 matches played.
Weak maps
- Nuke: low win percentage (35.7%) with 14 matches played.
- Anubis: low win percentage (33.3%) with 6 matches played.
Predicted result of the match between Vitality and G2 Esports at IEM Cologne 2025
Both teams secured victories in their opening matches at IEM Cologne 2025 and demonstrated solid performances. Most analysts and bookmakers consider Vitality the clear favorite in this matchup, as the team is currently regarded as the strongest. However, G2 should not be counted out too early — they are also a top-tier team capable of winning. In our opinion, Vitality will win in this match and continue their climb toward a new trophy. Fans can expect a very exciting and dynamic game.
Betting prediction: Vitality wins.
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FaZe Clan
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