A high-stakes day at IEM Cologne 2025 delivered heartbreak, redemption, and playoff confirmations. The biggest story came from Group A, where Team Falcons were eliminated from the tournament after a tough loss to FURIA.
Falcons fall short despite kyousuke’s heroics
Team Falcons, one of the event’s most ambitious rosters, are heading home earlier than expected. After starting strong on Mirage, they were outclassed on Nuke and Ancient by a revitalized FURIA lineup. Despite the team’s elimination, Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin delivered a personal masterclass, averaging a 1.51 rating across the series.
The loss marks a bitter end for Falcons, who entered Cologne with high expectations and heavy investment behind their roster. FURIA now move on to face G2 in a high-stakes lower-bracket final for a place in the playoffs.
Playoff picture begins to take shape
In Group A, G2 looked dominant in their 2-0 sweep of 3DMAX. Clinical and composed, the international squad gave up little room for mistakes as they advanced toward their next test against FURIA.
Group B delivered its own shocks. MOUZ took down Natus Vincere 2-0, locking in a playoff berth after two sharp 13-10 wins on Mirage and Nuke. NAVI now fall to the lower bracket, where they will face Ninjas in Pyjamas. NiP stunned Heroic earlier in the day with a confident 2-0 performance.
Team Spirit continued their flawless run by sweeping Aurora to confirm a playoff spot. The highlight was another outstanding performance from donk, who put up 60 kills across the two maps.
Meanwhile, FaZe showed no mercy in their demolition of Team Liquid. With 13-6 and 13-2 scorelines, rain and frozen led the charge as Liquid failed to find any rhythm. The result ends Liquid’s Cologne run in the group stage and raises serious questions about the team’s direction moving forward.
See all results from the tournament here.
Round 3 of Stage 2 at IEM Cologne 2025:
- Natus Vincere – MOUZ 0-2
- Ninjas in Pyjamas – HEROIC 2-0
- Aurora – Spirit 0-2
- FaZe – Liquid 2-0
- Falcons – FURIA 1-2
- 3DMAX – G2 0-2
