NAVI in a tense match defeated Spirit and advanced to the playoffs of IEM Katowice 2025, while Astralis sent FURIA home after losing the match. The MongolZ confidently handled GamerLegion and proceeded to the playoffs, whereas Liquid left no chance for MOUZ, ending their tournament journey.

MOUZ vs Liquid

One of the first matches today was the elimination match between MOUZ and Liquid. MOUZ came to this tournament with an academy player, while Liquid was in full combat lineup. Obviously, Liquid was the favorite in this match and immediately began to justify it. The first half of the map ended 9:3 in favor of Liquid, and in the second, they simply brought the game to an end, winning 13:7.

The second map was Ancient, where the first half again ended 9:3 in favor of Liquid, and the second mirrored at 4:4, but Liquid had enough for the victory. After the defeat, MOUZ went home, earning $10,000.

GamerLegion vs The MongolZ

In this match, The MongolZ were the favorites, who performed well in the first half and finished it with a minimal lead of 7:5. The second half was also even, but The MongolZ turned out stronger and won the first map with a score of 13:10.

The second was Mirage, where The MongolZ showed very confident play and closed the first half 8:4, and in the second half, they brought the game to an end by winning 5 rounds. After the victory, The MongolZ advanced to the playoffs of IEM Katowice 2025. Meanwhile, GamerLegion fell into the lower bracket and will continue to play for a chance to enter the playoffs.

FURIA vs Astralis

In another elimination match today, FURIA and Astralis played, where the team from Denmark performed better. On the first map, Astralis managed to win 8 rounds on attack on Inferno, which allowed them to win it. The second was Dust2, where FURIA showed themselves well and managed to win 13:8.

On the final Nuke, the game was even, with the first half ending 6:6, and in the second, Astralis won 7 rounds on attack, which allowed the team to secure the victory in regulation time and move on to the next stage.

NAVI vs Spirit

Match of the day - NAVI versus Spirit, a derby of the world's best teams. There were many headlines about this match, and many predicted it would be incredible. And so it turned out, everything started with Mirage, where the first half ended 6:6, but in the second half NAVI managed to win 7 rounds, while Spirit responded with only two. The second match was also close and even, but due to the victory in key rounds, Spirit were stronger and won with a close score of 13:11. 

On the third map, the game was worthy of a major final. Both teams displayed strong and beautiful gameplay. Such a game could not be ended in regulation and went into overtimes, where NAVI proved to be stronger and defeated Spirit with a score of 16:14.

IEM Katowice 2025 takes place from January 29 to February 9 in Katowice, Poland. Twenty-four teams are competing for a prize fund of $1 million. The schedule and results of the event can be followed here.