IEM Cologne 2025: MOUZ & Spirit secure playoffs, Falcons eliminated

The third day of Stage 2 at IEM Cologne 2025 delivered a string of elimination matches that sent fan favourites packing, while others tightened their grip on playoff contention in the prestigious US$1 million Counter-Strike 2 tournament.

Ninjas in Pyjamas kept their IEM Cologne campaign alive with a dominant 2-0 victory over a stumbling HEROIC side. Led by Michel “ewjerkz“ Pinto’s aggressive rifle work, NiP overwhelmed their opponents on both maps, sending the once-dominant Danes home early and raising questions about HEROIC’s future after yet another lacklustre LAN showing.

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  Fast Payouts

Meanwhile, MOUZ punched their ticket to the LANXESS Arena with a composed win over Natus Vincere. The international squad’s map control and discipline frustrated NaVi at every turn, with Dorian “xertioN” Berman delivering a clinical performance. Despite a late push from Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy, NaVi were unable to recover, dropping into the lower bracket.

FaZe Clan bounced back from earlier setbacks with a vengeance, crushing Team Liquid 2-0 in one of the most one-sided series of the day. Håvard “rain“ Nygaard was in vintage form, picking apart Liquid’s defence with precision. For the struggling European squad, the loss marked yet another disappointing chapter in a turbulent 2025.

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  The bookies' bookie

Elsewhere, Team Spirit continued their terror run through Cologne, spearheaded by Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, who dropped an eye-watering 142 ADR and 2.17 rating across two maps in their win over Aurora. The 18-year-old phenom continues to solidify his case as the best rifler in the world right now.

G2 Esports comfortably dispatched 3DMAX to move within striking distance of playoffs, while FURIA Esports overcame Team Falcons 2-1 to eliminate the world number six. Despite a heroic showing from Falcons’ Kyosuke “kyousuke” Nishikawa, FURIA’s experience proved decisive in the clutch moments.

Tuesday’s IEM Cologne matches

Below is a list of IEM Cologne matches that are scheduled to take place on Tuesday, July 29, with odds courtesy of the best esports betting sites.

• FaZe Clan (-227.27 with BetOnline) vs Aurora (+162 with SportsBetting) @ 1:30pm CEST
• Ninjas in Pyjamas (+162 with BetOnline) vs Natus Vincere (-227.27 with BetOnline) @ 1:30pm CEST
• G2 Esports (-138.89 with BetOnline) vs FURIA Esports (+100 with SportsBetting) @ 4pm CEST
• The MongolZ (+275 with BetOnline) vs Team Vitality (-400 with BetOnline) @ 4pm CEST
• MOUZ (-120.48 with BetOnline) vs Team Spirit (-120.48 with SportsBetting) @ 6:30pm CEST
• Winner of Aurora/FaZe Clan vs Natus Vincere/Ninjas in Pyjamas @ 6:30pm CEST