The list of teams in the final brackets includes legendary powerhouses, players on the rise, a top roster with big problems, and unexpected underdogs. This spicy mix promises an excellent esports show!
The Group Stage at Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Chengdu 2025 was pretty merciless, as only six teams remained in the competition after it — out of 16. The final matches offer even less space for misstep: the Playoffs are a do-or-die experience.
From Nov. 7 and up to Nov 9, some of the best Counter-Strike 2 teams in the world battle for a nice piece of the $300,000 prize pool. Also, winning IEM Chengdu 2025 means taking a step towards a big goal: $1 million of the ESL Grand Slam VI.
How to watch IEM Chengdu 2025 Playoffs: Stream
The Playoffs stream from Intel Extreme Masters Chengdu 2025 is embedded above. You can watch every stage of this CS2 esports tournament on the official YouTube channel of ESL Counter-Strike.
Schedule
The detailed schedule of the IEM Chengdu 2025 Playoffs is in the table below.
Date and start time | Tournament stage | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 7, 7:30 a.m. CET / 1:30 a.m ET | Quarterfinal | Astralis vs Team Vitality |
| Nov. 7, 10:45 a.m. CET / 4:45 a.m ET | Quarterfinal | FURIA vs The MongolZ |
| Nov. 8, 7:30 a.m. CET / 1:30 a.m ET | Semifinal | MOUZ vs TBD |
| Nov. 8, 10:45 a.m. CET / 4:45 a.m ET | Semifinal | Team Falcons vs TBD |
| Nov. 9, 5 a.m. CET / 11 p.m ET Nov. 8 | Third-place match | TBD vs TBD |
| Nov. 9, 9 a.m. CET / 3 a.m ET | Grand final | TBD vs TBD |
Matchups and results at IEM Chengdu 2025
Most matches in the final brackets are under the best-of-three (Bo3) format. Securing two maps is enough to advance further. The grand final is Bo5.
IEM Chengdu 2025 follows the modern trend of having a third-place match. Therefore, only the quarterfinals are elimination matches. The semifinal losers have one more chance to shine on the finals day.
Brackets
Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Third-place match | Grand final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astralis vs Vitality | MOUZ vs TBD | TBD vs TBD | |
| FURIA vs The MongolZ | Falcons vs TBD | TBD vs TBD |
Final standings
Placement | Teams | Prize money |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | TBD | $125,000 |
| 2nd | TBD | $50,000 |
| 3rd | TBD | $30,000 |
| 4th | TBD | $20,000 |
| 5th–6th | TBD TBD | $12,500 |
Six teams on the way to the top: Tournament preview
IEM Chengdu 2025 is the last big tournament before the CS2 Budapest Major. It should reveal the current state of the top-most teams.
Some interesting results happened in the Groups Stage. Team Spirit and NAVI got eliminated. Both have been experiencing a down-period with their results, but falling that early was unexpected. Spirit lost their chance to earn another ESL Grand Slam win — after IEM Cologne 2025.
Unexpected underdogs
One more surprise is about the underdogs who made it to the IEM Chengdu 2025 Playoffs.
- Astralis upset NAVI and The MongolZ in the Group Stage. For the current roster, it’s already a decent achievement. Beating Vitality in the opening match feels like a fantastic dream, though.
A top team with problems
The MongolZ are generally considered a top team, but their problems have been intensifying lately. IEM Chengdu 2025 is the first tournament for them without Azbayar "Senzu" Munkhbold, as he was replaced by Unudelger "controlez" Baasanjargal from Chinggis Warriors.
The skill gap for this stand-in player was pretty obvious in many moments. The reckless play of controlez could work in the regional environment, but not on the big international stage — like suddenly running out of the smoke to get killed.
Still, The MongolZ managed to defeat even Team Spirit, even if all their Group Stage matches were extremely close.
Players on the rise
The FURIA players are on the rise right now. After winning two mid-tier tournaments, like Thunderpick World Championship 2025, the team shines brightly even at bigger events.
- FURIA defeated Lynn Vision Gaming and G2 Esports in the groups. They lost to MOUZ.
CS2 esports powerhouses
Three teams in the Playoffs at IEM Chengdu 2025 are the biggest tournament favorites.
- Vitality won EPL Season 22 and reached two victories in their ESL Grand Slam VI score. In the groups, they still lost to MOUZ.
- Falcons have been achieving good results recently: 3rd at CS2 Esports Worlds Cup 2025 and 2nd at ESL Pro League S22. Team Falcons defeated Spirit in the groups.
- MOUZ are in the top 2 and 3 of so many tournaments, but they can’t reach the #1 spot. IEM Chengdu 2025 can be different! They already defeated their long-term rivals, Team Vitality once, but the rematch is set for the semifinal.
Right after this tournament, some top teams jump into the BLAST Rivals Fall 2025 competition in Hong Kong, from Nov. 12 to Nov. 16. The scale of this event is much smaller, though: eight participants, with some top team being absent.
The competitive season in Counter-Strike 2 comes to an exciting end with StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, from Nov. 24 to Dec. 14.
