Four teams started the tournament with the Group stage, and just after one match, they are ready to advance to the quarterfinals. Falcons got themselves very tough opponents.
On the first day of group stage matches, no team from the play-ins could defeat their opponents. Only those who were seeded directly to the groups earned their semifinal spots — and therefore the chance to advance to the playoffs early. The Group A upper semis at the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2025 (IEM Cologne 2025) happened on July 27. The best teams in the world are here!
The winners advance to the final brackets. There will be one more match in Group A; the upper final will determine the exact seeding. The group winner goes to the playoffs semifinal. Still, hitting the final stage and earning a guaranteed presence on the stage at the CS2 cathedral is really a big deal.
- Team Falcons vs The MongolZ
- Team Vitality vs G2 Esports
How to watch Group A semifinals at IEM Cologne 2025: Stream
Both playoff qualification matches are on the main stream. You can watch the IEM Cologne 2025 Group A semifinals right here. The start is after the match between MOUZ vs Team Liquid.
Two teams to hit the CS2 IEM Cologne 2025 playoff first
In total, there will be six playoff participants out of 16 teams that play in the Group stage of Counter-Strike 2 IEM Cologne 2025. Group A has semifinals first — here are the results, a brief overview, and video highlights.
Falcons 0:2 The MongolZ — The MongolZ win the match and advance to the IEM Cologne 2025 playoffs
Map | Score | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| 1, Dust II, Falcons pick | Falcons 9:13 The MongolZ | The MongolZ |
| 2, Mirage, The MongolZ pick | Falcons 9:13 The MongolZ | The MongolZ |
| 3, Ancient, decider | - | - |
Both these teams are among the favorites at the CS2 IEM Cologne 2025. However, they bring totally different vibes to this match.
Falcons clearly failed at the Austin Major 2025. Finishing 20th–22nd for a team of such caliber is a disaster. Since that tournament, zonic got kyousuke instead of Magisk, and that roster change may take Team Falcons back to the top-most level.
In the Cologne opening match, Falcons defeated GamerLegion. These opponents advanced to the Groups with two wins in the Play-In stage, so such a start is pretty promising for Falcons’ fans.
The MongolZ, on the other hand, are not out of their amazing tournament runs. All the CS2 esports events in 2025 bring the team 3rd–4th and 2nd placement. Being in the grand final of BLAST Austin Major sure is a decent achievement!
The MongolZ reached the semifinal after the match versus 3DMAX.
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Vitality 2:0 G2 — Team Vitality win the match
Map | Score | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| 1, Inferno, G2 pick | Vitality 13:5 G2 | Vitality |
| 2, Train, Vitality pick | Vitality 13:10 G2 | Vitality |
| 3, Overpass, decider | - | - |
G2 Esports players face extremely tough opponents! Team Vitality enjoys peak success with a seven-tournament win streak. They won the Blast Austin Major, three Intel Extreme Masters events in 2025, BLAST Rivals and Open Spring 2025, and ESL Pro League Season 21. It’s just beyond being impressive!
Vitality beat Astralis in their opening match. The opponents struggled to qualify for the Groups, so it wasn’t a representative battle.
G2 are underdogs in this matchup, for sure. Losing two key players did not do the team any good. The roster got SunPayus and matys before the CS2 tournament in Cologne, and this current version of G2 may still prove to be strong competitively.
The first opponents for G2 esports were FURIA players, who got a pretty good Play-In run.
In Group B, two teams have already reached the semifinals: NAVI defeated FaZe, and Aurora won over NiP. Their opponents were also determined on July 27: MOUZ and Team Spirit. The IEM Cologne 2025 playoffs are from Aug. 1 to Aug. 3.
For CS2 news and updates, stick around on esports.gg.
