I finished in the top 1% of Fantasy Season Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, and I’m here to help you lock in the sharpest lineup for the Esports World Cup 2025.
The CS2 Esports World Cup 2025 brings 16 teams to Boulevard Riyadh City for a five-day, single-elimination showdown (Aug 20–24). All matches are best-of-three, with a best-of-five grand final and a third-place decider to close the weekend. The field is built from the VRS ranking invites plus TYLOO via the ACL qualifier, and the prize pool stands at $1,250,000 – a mix that adds both pedigree and volatility for Fantasy lineups.
HLTV runs a dedicated Fantasy game for this event. A Fantasy game that consist of picking different players, hoping to hit the hardest hitters and biggest winners.
Single-elimination all the way to the semifinals makes this Fantasy round wildly swingy – one upset can nuke a chalk lineup. That volatility also creates edge: there isn’t one “correct” build, there are several. Lean into a clear plan – safe favorites for floor or contrarian stacks for ceiling and you’ve got a real chance to stand out from the field.
The wOo Carry Lineup 2.0
Running three IGLs is rarely the optimal points play in CS2 Fantasy, but with the Esports World Cup 2025 format it can actually be the best route.
With Vitality sitting on a heavily favored bracket, it can pay to go all-in on ZywOo – either for a full pop-off run or, at minimum, a trip to the third-place decider.
The bottom bracket is wide open. MOUZ are genuine title contenders; with their teamplay I expect them to beat Virtus.pro, though a potential clash with Falcons looks trickier. jimpphat offers solid value, even if he hasn’t hit peak form lately.
Aleksib rounds out the lineup with a realistic path to the third-place decider and an outside shot at the final.
Team Risky Business
After an upset-heavy BLAST Bounty Fantasy slate, this lineup is for risk-takers. With a lot of season points on the line, it’s not for everyone – but the upside is real.
Astralis: They’ve stumbled against TYLOO before, but the HooXi iteration has banked more practice and already pushed Vitality close – dropping crucial swing rounds. If they arrive in form, especially device, they’re shooting for the stars.
Falcons + kyousuke: This edition still has to prove it works. kyousuke is individually excellent, but the team hasn’t matched his firepower. He isn’t cheap and shares a brutal bracket with MOUZ and Spirit, yet even in losses he’s posted standout numbers – making him a high-upside contrarian.
Rounding it out: Techno is the best of the remaining budget options, slotting neatly into the Headshot Machine role. Role synergy is solid overall, though note that device often grades better as an Entry Fragger than a pure AWPer, which makes role assignment a touch trickier – but manageable for the ceiling you’re chasing.
Olesens GOATs – My Lineup For Esports World Cup 2025
With Spirit in peak form and zont1x playing with a point to prove, I expect at least a third-place decider – unless FaZe suddenly clicks into top gear.
NAVI look strong; the only question is how quickly makazze beds in. He’s shown he can frag, but team cohesion has been the stumbling block. w0nderful is a budget path to the AWP slot, and iM sits at an all-time low price after a rough stretch. Slapping Multi-Fragger on iM is risky, but I’m willing to chase the upside.
Lastly, here’s hoping Falcons find form and TeSeS delivers a steady event. He pops off now and then and rounds out the roles cleanly.
