After a week of fierce competition, IEM Katowice 2025 has finally reached the playoffs. Let’s take a look at the final six teams and preview the opening matches.
Playoffs team preview
Team Vitality
Vitality won only one top-tier title in 2024, IEM Cologne and it is currently outside the top three in both the HLTV and Valve rankings. It signed Robin "ropz" Kool to replace Lotan "Spinx" Giladi. However, the new roster only managed to reach the quarterfinals in its first top-tier tournament of 2025, BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 1.
In this tournament, Vitality started its journey from the group stage, defeating 3DMAX, FaZe, and Virtus.pro while dropping only one map in these three matches to secure first place in its group and a direct spot in the semifinals. Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut has maintained a 1.30 rating over the past month. As "ZywOo" continues to heat up, Vitality is looking to reclaim its top spot in this tournament.
Natus Vincere (NAVI)
NAVI was one of the top three teams to conclude 2024, securing four top-tier titles, including the PGL Copenhagen Major, and holding the No. 1 ranking for a period of time. However, it ended the year with a Swiss stage elimination at the Perfect World Shanghai Major.
After being eliminated by Team Spirit in the BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 1 semifinals, NAVI managed to get its revenge in Katowice, securing first place in its group and earning a direct spot in the semifinals. There is still a possibility of NAVI facing Team Spirit again in the semifinals, setting up a clash between the two most recent No. 1 teams.
Team Spirit
After winning the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, Team Spirit started the new year strong with a victory in BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 1. Winning back-to-back international titles has secured Team Spirit’s position as the current No. 1 team in 2025.
Team Spirit’s young star player, Danil "donk" Kryshkovets, was awarded MVP in both tournaments, breaking the record as the youngest Major MVP at just 17 years old. One year ago, “donk” made his LAN debut at IEM Katowice 2024, demolishing Apeks with a dominant 13-0 win. He then led Team Spirit to win the tournament and claimed the MVP title. Now, one year later, can “donk” and Team Spirit defend their Katowice title in an event that holds special meaning for them?
The MongolZ
The MongolZ has redefined expectations for Asian CS. In the Perfect World Shanghai Major, the team advanced through both the opening stage and group Swiss stage with flawless 3-0 records, defeating powerhouse teams like G2, MOUZ, and HEROIC.
However, the team’s journey in Shanghai ended in the quarterfinals, denying fans the chance to witness an Asian team lifting the Major trophy at the first CS Major held in Asia. Despite this, the team’s performance has given hope to the Asian CS community, and fans are eager to see it claim its first IEM title.
Eternal Fire
Eternal Fire started the new year strong, defeating Vitality and G2 to reach the grand finals of BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 1. It even won the first map against Team Spirit in the grand finals and came close to becoming the dragon slayer. However, “donk”’s resurgence in the following three maps resulted in Eternal Fire finishing as the runner-up.
Now, Eternal Fire will face The MongolZ in the quarterfinals, where only one of these rising teams can advance.
Virtus.pro
Virtus.pro had a rough year in 2024, failing to secure any international titles. Just before the new year, the team underwent major roster changes, with iconic In-Game Leader and sniper Dzhami "Jame" Ali departing and David "n0rb3r7" Daniyelyan being benched. The new roster struggled in BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 1 but seems to be finding its footing in IEM Katowice 2025, securing a playoff spot by defeating G2 and Eternal Fire.
Now, it faces Team Spirit in the quarterfinals — a major challenge for this revamped lineup.
Playoffs opening matches best bets
The MongolZ (+130*) vs. Eternal Fire (-159*)
Both teams are rising stars in the CS2 pro scene. According to HLTV data, there are three players in Eternal Fire with a rating lower than 1.0 over the past three months. However, The MongolZ hasn’t played in any international LAN events since the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, resulting in a gap of more than a month.
On the other hand, Eternal Fire recently finished as the first runner-up at BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 1 in January. If Eternal Fire can maintain its momentum heading into Katowice, it is slightly favored to perform well.
Best bets: Eternal Fire Money Line (-159*) and Total Maps Over 2.5 (-104*)
Bet: The MongolZ vs. Eternal Fire odds
Virtus.pro (+422*) vs. Team Spirit (-694*)
This seems to be a one-sided matchup, with the new Virtus.pro roster facing the current top-ranked team, Spirit. Despite Team Spirit’s back-to-back victories in two international titles, its journey at IEM Katowice has been somewhat thrilling.
After losing to NAVI, Team Spirit dropped to the lower bracket and had to fight for the last playoff spot in its group. In the lower bracket final, GamerLegion won the first map, Anubis, putting Team Spirit on the brink of elimination. However, it successfully came back on the next two maps and secured its spot. It’s worth noting that the first map Team Spirit lost to Eternal Fire in the BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 1 Grand Final was also Anubis. This could be a potential breakthrough point for the "dragon."
On the other hand, Virtus.pro seems to be heating up in Katowice with its new roster, defeating G2 and Eternal Fire to earn its spot. However, its ability to slay the "dragon" remains questionable. Anubis is not the team’s preferred map, and it likely won’t be able to capitalize on it during the drafting phase.
The team’s first pick, Dust 2, boasts a 75% win rate over the past three months, but Spirit has an even more impressive 91.7% win rate on the same map. This will undoubtedly be a tough battle for Virtus.pro.
Best bets: Virtus.pro Handicap +1.5 (+159*) and Total Maps Over 2.5 (+199*)
Bet: Virtus.pro vs. Team Spirit odds
*Odds subject to change
