The group stage of IEM Cologne 2025 is about to begin. Out of the 16 teams that competed in the play-in stage, only eight are still in the race.
- FaZe Clan
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- GamerLegion
- FURIA
- Astralis
- HEROIC
- 3DMAX
- Team Liquid
Despite having strong rosters and even spectacular results in recent tournaments in some cases, several participants were eliminated in the first stage. TYLOO, Virtus.pro, paiN Gaming, and BIG are on this list.
Group A
Here are the teams that compete in group A of IEM Cologne:
- Team Vitality
- Astralis
- FURIA
- G2 Esports
- Team Falcons
- GamerLegion
- 3DMAX
- The MongolZ
Because of the harsh competitive format, which allows only three of the eight teams to advance to the playoffs, as well as the presence of Team Vitality, Team Falcons, and The MongolZ, it’s very hard to be optimistic about anyone else.
Group B
In group B of IEM Cologne, the situation is much more unpredictable. Here are the teams that compete in it:
- MOUZ
- Team Liquid
- FaZe Clan
- Natus Vincere
- Aurora Gaming
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- HEROIC
- Team Spirit
The favorites here are Spirit, MOUZ, and FaZe Clan. However, NAVI could easily prove to be a very strong team despite changing their roster recently.
After all, Drin “makazze” Shaqiri impressed with his performances at the academy team and might turn out to be a superstar in the making. At 18, he has all the time in the world to train twice as hard as most pros who are pushing 30.
For MOUZ and Spirit, the path to the upper bracket final seems relatively easy. But we don’t know yet which of them is going to win the group. The winner advances to the semifinals and will avoid a potential nemesis, which is a big advantage.
