The third and final game day of the IEM Katowice 2025 Play-in was marked by intense matches and unexpected outcomes. FURIA, Liquid, BIG, Astralis, and Virtus.pro progressed to the main stage of the tournament, while HEROIC, paiN, MIBR,  Complexity,  and Wildcard ended their run, leaving a lasting impact in the battle for advancement.

Complexity vs. Liquid

One of the day's early matches was between Liquid and Complexity, where the winner had the opportunity to play in the match for the main stage. Liquid were the favorites, which indeed proved true. The team easily handled the new Complexity roster and sent them home.

Wildcard vs. FURIA

Two American teams competed for a spot in the main stage, where Wildcard surprised everyone on the first map, winning the half 11:1 and finishing the map 13:4. However, FURIA managed to come back on the second map, winning 13:4. The third map was evenly matched and even went into overtime, but FURIA ultimately came out on top to advance to the main stage.

BIG vs. HEROIC

This match was crucial for BIG, as the team finally had the chance to break into the tier-1 tournament's main stage after a long time. However, the new HEROIC roster is very strong and promising. They showed strong performances against all teams, but this time, it seemed like they simply didn't show up on the server, losing the match 2-0, with map scores of 13:2 and 13:4. This day just wasn't successful for HEROIC, and they were sent home.

Virtus.pro vs. MIBR

At this tournament, the new Virtus.pro roster is starting to show something resembling decent gameplay, and this time they managed to showcase some good moments on Anubis, finishing the map with a score of 13:4. On Ancient, they continued to demonstrate impressive play and concluded it with a close score of 13:10.

Liquid vs. Wildcard

For both teams, this was the second match of the day, which is challenging, especially on LAN. On the first map, Liquid demonstrated confident play, ending the half 9:3, and many were already thinking about the second map, but not Wildcard. They managed to come back into the game and take it to overtime, where unfortunately, they lost 4:0, and the map ended 16:12. On the second map, Anubis, Liquid showed their dominance and closed out the map 13:0 without any chances, making a significant mark in this game.

PaiN vs. Astralis

The last match of the day was between paiN and Astralis, where the first half of the first map ended 9:3 in favor of Astralis, which surprised many. Astralis, with their experience, finished the map and took the lead in the match. On the second map, the game was evenly matched, but thanks to winning key rounds, Astralis managed to win and progress to the main stage.

IEM Katowice 2025 takes place from January 29 to February 9 in Katowice, Poland. Twenty-four teams will compete for a prize pool of $1 million. You can follow the event's schedule and results here.