IEM Cologne grand final recap
What more is there to say?
Team Spirit have completed Counter-Strike.
Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024.
and now IEM Cologne 2025.
You could say the Grand Final was easy and a washout, but MOUZ had fought hard all year with eight run ins with Team Vitality and the eighth finally being the one to topple the 2025 Kings of Counter-Strike.
With a BO5 ahead of them, MOUZ and Team Spirit had to pace themselves. What? They won in three?
donk knows no slowing down.
Kicking things off on Mirage, the pick of MOUZ, Spirit raced through the first half setting the pace on the CT side and completely denying any action for MOUZ, making it a 10-2 half.
As with most games there’s always a bit of kick back, but all the European side could muster was five rounds against three for a first map advantage for Spirit.
Moving to Ancient, where Spirit, despite it being their home map, have occasionally struggled, the analysts suspected this could be a foot into the series for MOUZ.
Brollan took the bull by the horns, single handedly picking up MOUZ’ first two rounds and reigniting the fire for the rest of the team and making it 8-4 at the half.
Having made it to 11-5, MOUZ looked sure to make this at least a four-map final, but then they had to contend with donk.
And donk said no.
Spirit proceeded to win eight rounds in a row and close out their map pick 13-11 and put themselves within reaching distance of the ever coveted IEM Cologne trophy.
One last chance for MOUZ existed on Nuke. With Spirit having lost it previously to NAVI 13-9, surely this was somewhere MOUZ could strike?
8-4 in favour of Spirit.
Four rounds away from the title. The legacy. Completing Counter-Strike.
Team Spirit ran away with six rounds out of round and newcomer zweih took the final kill, cementing their place in CS history.
Is the second half of 2025 going to see the Team Spirit era?
Final standings:
1st 🇷🇺 Spirit – $400.000 (+60K clubshare)
2nd 🇪🇺 MOUZ – $180.000 (+36K clubshare)
3-4th 🇪🇺 Vitality – $80.000 (+28K clubshare)
3-4th 🇪🇺 NAVI – $80.000 (+28K clubshare)
5-6th 🇧🇷 FURIA – $40.000 (+21K clubshare)
5-6th 🇲🇳 The MongolZ – $40.000 (+21K clubshare)
7-8th 🇪🇺 G2 Esports – $24.000 (+14K clubshare)
7-8th 🇪🇺 FaZe Clan – $24.000 (+14K clubshare)