The epic CS2 esports tournament has reached the final stage, and the best teams in the world are playing in front of the crowd. The first day of the playoffs features an awesome show and great quarterfinal battles.
The quarterfinals at Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Cologne 2025 launch the on-stage part of this event. The matches treat us to a spectacular experience. NAVI and The MongolZ play first. The winners advance further to face Team Spirit. The losers are out, as the playoffs consist of single-elimination brackets.
Everything about the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) match NAVI versus The MongolZ from the IEM Cologne 2025 playoffs is here. We also highlight a unique giveaway that happens in the arena.
How to watch NAVI versus The MongolZ at IEM Cologne 2025: Stream
The official YouTube channel of ESL Counter-Strike streams IEM Cologne 2025. You can watch the quarterfinal between NAVI and The MongolZ. It’s the first match of the tournament day on Aug. 1. MOUZ and FURIA play after it.
$10,000 for an Austin Major coin?
The first day of the playoffs sure features an opening show, and the organizers have prepared something rather unusual. On Aug. 1, a person who owns the Pick’Em Challenge Diamond Coin from the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 can claim $10,000.
The prize will be presented by James Banks during the show. All that is needed is to prove having the coin. The giveaway is organized by the main betting sponsor of IEM Cologne 2025.
For context, the teams that finished the tournament 13th–16th receive the same amount of money.
NAVI vs The MongolZ: Battle for a semifinal spot at CS2 IEM Cologne 2025
The teams play a best-of-three (Bo3) match to continue competing at IEM Cologne 2025. Check out the quarterfinal result between NAVI and The MongolZ in this section — with map stats and brief overviews.
NAVI 2:0 The MongolZ — NAVI win the match to advance to the semifinal at the IEM Cologne 2025
Map | Score | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| 1, Inferno, NAVI pick | NAVI 22:18 The MongolZ | NAVI |
| 2, Ancient, MongolZ pick | NAVI 13:6 The MongolZ | NAVI |
| 2, Mirage, decider | - | - |
Map 1, Inferno
This Counter-Strike battle on Inferno was wonderfully close! NAVI won three first rounds on the T side, including denying the force-buy attempt from The MongolZ. After that, they fell into an abyss of losses. The MongolZ won six rounds in a row, and only with a crazy 2v4 clutch, NAVI managed to win their fourth round in the first half.
Then, the tides turned NAVI's way. The MongolZ also treated us to great moments, like a 2v4 win on a force buy. However, they misstep in a crucial situation — miscalculated time, missed a couple of seconds to plant the bomb, and let NAVI trigger overtime.
After back-and-forth final rounds, NAVI got ahead and eventually won 22:18.
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Map 2, Ancient
This map went much smoother for NAVI! They won the pistols and a couple of rounds after that. The difference compared to Inferno was that NAVI did not let The MongolZ win their first full buy, even if the fourth round was just on the verge.
On the CT side, NAVI won 11 rounds in the first half! After the side swap, The MongolZ started strong. They won the pistols and destroyed NAVI’s economy. But the most they could get was 6 rounds on this map. NAVI needed just two, and they grabbed them!
NAVI won an Ancient, and they advance to the semifinal at IEM Cologne 2025. Their next opponent is Team Spirit.
Match preview: Path to the glory
NAVI started the CS2 era with a blast. They became the first team to win a Counter-Strike 2 Major. After PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 and CS2 EWC 2024, the results of NAVI went down and did not reach the same peak in 2024.
This year, NAVI earned many top 8 placements and the top 4 at IEM Katowice 2025. NAVI achieved the same result at the Austin Major, where Vitality eliminated them.
A roster change happened right before IEM Cologne 2025. Drin “makazze” Shaqiri joined NAVI, and he has been performing pretty well. This roster experienced one loss during the Group stage: NAVI lost to FaZe, but they defeated the same opponents in the lower final.
IEM Cologne 2025 can become the return to glory for NAVI!
The MongolZ have been surprising the global CS2 community with their great tournament results this season. The team is in the top 4 regularly at the biggest esports events. The MongolZ reached the grand final at the Austin Major but lost to Team Vitality.
During the Groupe Stage at IEM Cologne 2025, The MongolZ were among four teams that advanced to the Playoffs early. They could go directly to the semifinal, but lost to Vitality (again).
Succeeding in Cologne feels like a nice continuation of the path to glory for The MongolZ.
The semifinals of IEM Cologne 2025 happen on Aug. 2, and the tournament winner is decided on Aug. 3.
Soon after this event, we can witness Counter-Strike 2 matches at BLAST Bounty Fall 2025, from Aug. 15 to Aug. 17, and the Esports World Cup 2025, from Aug. 15 to Aug. 17.
For CS2 coverage, news, and updates, stick around on esports.gg.
