Brazil vs. Argentina.

Latin America’s finest going head-to-head in the Cathedral of Counter-Strike with a place in the Major semis on the line. Absolute f-cking cinema.

No joke - outside of the obvious Vitality vs. Falcons banger - we genuinely believe this is the most exciting quarterfinal matchup.

FURIA has looked unstoppable throughout their time in Cologne so far, sweeping Stage 3 with ease. Sure, they didn’t exactly face the toughest of opposition, but their CS was still incredibly convincing. They held a red-hot BetBoom to just 12 rounds across two maps, something no other team managed to do.

The key question heading into the Playoffs and the first clash with 9z is whether molodoy can carry his Stage 3 form onto the Arena, where he has struggled to reach those peaks. If he can - with Spirit, Vitality, and Falcons all on the opposite side of the bracket - FURIA have a genuine shot at making a very deep run and perhaps even going all the way.

And in what is FalleN’s last Cologne, seeing him lift the Major trophy would be poetic.

But first, FURIA has to get past 9z, and you know that’s not going to be easy. They have come to play, as made abundantly clear throughout Stages 2 and 3, showing they can go toe-to-toe with the big boys. dgt proved his time in paiN (how fitting) did not count, while luchov has finally been given the opportunity - a fully earned one at that - to showcase his incredible talent on CS’ biggest stage, after the whole BESTIA saga back in Austin.

Perhaps the biggest question mark surrounding 9z isn’t really talent, but experience. Major Playoffs are a completely different beast, and there may be no tougher introduction than a Major quarterfinal in the LANXESS Arena.

max touched on the topic in a recent interview, saying that “the Playoffs in Astana helped us, [for this] to not be the first arena for the team. We know how it’s going to be”.

Thing is, we’re not really sure you do. There’s hardly a comparison between a Playoffs match in Astana and a LANXESS Arena during an IEM Cologne Major. The scale and the pressure are on an entirely different level, and how 9z respond to that environment could well end up being the deciding factor in the series.

FURIA has been here before: a Major quarterfinal, a fellow South American opponent, and the crushing weight of expectations firmly on their shoulders.

They were favourites then, too.

And you know what they say… history tends to repeat itself.