2025 IEM Katowice Playoffs preview: teams and schedule

The 2025 Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice Group Stage has wrapped up, revealing all of the teams that are competing in the Playoffs for a lion’s share of its $1m (~£798,700) prize pool. 

IEM Katowice is one of Counter-Strike’s most iconic tournaments, with its 2025 edition setting the scene for the rest of the year.   

Ahead of the Tier 1 event’s playoff stage, Esports Insider has provided a rundown of the teams that will be competing at the Spodek Arena in Poland.

With the Group Stage wrapped up, the teams heading to the Playoffs have now been decided. The Group Stage featured two double-elimination format groups (A and B) that were seeded based on the Play-In stage. The top three teams from each group advanced to the Playoffs, with just six teams heading to the final stage. 

Here is a look at the team that will be competing in the IEM Katowice 2025 Playoffs:

Team Vitality was the team to beat in Group A and the roster proved fans right. The French squad took out 3DMAX and FaZe Clan on its way to the upper-bracket final. Facing Virtus.pro, ZywOo was a standout with 32 kills. The 2-0 victory clinched the team a spot in the Playoffs. 

Virtus.pro had to take down some notable teams in Group A to fight its way to the Playoffs. The Russian team kept a consistent playstyle with unwavering nerve throughout, defeating G2 Esports and Eternal Fire to qualify before ultimately losing to Team Vitality. Newcomers FL4MUS and ICY proved they have what it takes to bring Virtus.pro to the top. 

Founded in 2021, Eternal Fire is relatively new to the CS2 scene but it has continued to prove it has a place — maybe even at the top. In 2024, Eternal Fire secured two second-place finishes at ESL Pro League Season 20 and BLAST Bounty Spring 2025. After taking down FaZe Clan for a spot in the Playoffs, the team is no doubt looking to make an impact at IEM Katowice. 

The Mongolz eliminated GamerLegion in a commanding 2-0 victory to qualify. This included 13-10 on Nuke and 13-5 on Mirage, taking the win with ease. bLitz was the stand-out, finishing with 38 kills. Before that the team took out another big contender, Team Liquid, beating the EU squad 2-1. With a current world ranking of third, this is a strong showing for The Mongolz going into the Playoffs, despite its loss to NAVI. 

Speaking of NAVI, the team started Group B in the upper bracket, taking down FURIA, Team Spirit, and then beating The Mongolz 2-0. The convincing win saw a 13-3 on Mirage and a 13-9 scoreline on Ancient. ‘B1t’ had 35 kills during this game, showing complete domination. Heading into the Playoffs,  NAVI  is coming off the back of a decent 2024 —  including winning PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 and Esports World Cup 2024. 

It’s no surprise to see Team Spirit qualifying for the Playoffs. Leading up to IEM Katowice, Team Spirit got first place at Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 and BLAST Bounty Spring 2025. However, Group B proved tricky for the team — the organisation started in the upper bracket but dropped to the lower bracket after a loss to Navi. But after beating Team Liquid and GamerLegion, Team Spirit came out on top in the end. 

Fans who want to tune in to see these six teams play in the Playoffs can follow this schedule: 

There are several ways to tune in to the Playoffs. Official streams can be found on the Faceit site, featuring a chat as well as statistics to use throughout the event. On Twitch, there are multiple ESL channels playing Counter-Strike 2 games. ESL also has an official YouTube stream.