IEM Katowice 2025 is reaching its final stretch, and in the decisive match of the tournament, two of the strongest teams will face off — Vitality and Spirit. Both organizations are in great shape, have had a challenging journey to the finals, and are ready to compete for the prestigious trophy. Vitality confidently went through the playoffs in the upper bracket, while Spirit managed to reach the final through the lower bracket, showcasing a high level of play. In this material, we will analyze the current form of the teams, the map pool, and make a prediction for the match.

Current Form of the Teams

Vitality

The average rating of Vitality in events over the last month is 6.3. Vitality previously participated in the Perfect World Shanghai Major Elimination Stage, where they confidently reached the playoffs with a score of 3-0 but lost in the quarterfinals. Then the team reached the playoffs of BLAST Bounty Spring 2025, but again were eliminated at the quarterfinal stage. At the current IEM Katowice 2025, Vitality reached the playoffs in the upper bracket, starting straight from the semifinals, losing only one map throughout the tournament.

In the last five matches, Vitality secured four victories — against 3DMAX, FaZe, Virtus.pro, and The Mongolz. The only loss was in a match against Spirit.

Spirit

The average rating of Spirit in events over the last month is 6.5. Spirit previously won the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, then performed triumphantly at BLAST Bounty Spring 2025, losing only one map in the grand final. At IEM Katowice 2025, the team reached the playoffs through the lower bracket.

In the last five matches, Spirit also have four victories — against Virtus.pro, GamerLegion, Liquid and NAVI. The only loss occurred in a match against NAVI.

Teams' Map Pool

Considering the teams' preferences in selecting and banning maps, the following scenario can be assumed: In the first stage, Vitality will remove Ancient, as it is their most frequent ban, while Spirit will exclude Inferno, as they tend to avoid this map. As their first choices, Vitality will opt for Nuke, where they show the best results, and Spirit will choose Dust II, on which they have a high win rate. The remaining maps will be Mirage, Anubis, and Train, which will remain decisive.

Head-to-head Meetings

In the past six months, Vitality and Spirit have met only once. The last match took place three months ago, and Spirit confidently won with a score of 2:0.

Match Prediction

Both teams are in excellent form, but Spirit shows slightly more stable results and has the advantage in head-to-head meetings. Nevertheless, Vitality reached the playoffs of IEM Katowice 2025 through the upper bracket, indicating good game momentum. Based on the map pool, the key map for Vitality will be Nuke, where they have a 93% win rate. However, Spirit also feels confident on Dust II and can put up a fight on Mirage.

Prediction: Spirit wins with a score of 3:2

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