IEM Cologne 2025 Play-In preview: Momentum for TYLOO, can Team Liquid rebound?

Following a short break after the BLAST.tv Austin Major, the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports circuit has roared into life for the second half of the 2025 season.

For many of the world’s best teams, IEM Cologne 2025 is the first event after the Major and is the ideal opportunity for teams to see how they fare on the international stage.

Before the Group Stage gets underway, 16 teams are competing in the Play-Ins. With several notable names attempting to earn a place inside the cathedral of Counter-Strike, Esports Insider takes a closer look at the main talking points before the Play-Ins get underway.

The 2025 season has been far from smooth sailing for Team Liquid. Having placed no higher than the top six in all tournaments it has competed in, the team hopes Cologne marks a turning point for this year’s CS2 campaign.

A successful trial of Kamil ‘Siuhy’ Szkaradek has seen the Polish player become the team’s new in-game leader (IGL). However, the change of roles began with Liquid failing to qualify for ESL Pro League Season 22 following a defeat to Sashi Esport.

Making it to the LANXESS Arena could be the catalyst for Team Liquid to spark a return to form, but its opening round match against PaiN Gaming is likely to be a hard-fought battle. The Brazilians head into Cologne after making it to the Austin Major Playoffs, and a win against Liquid could cement its place as one of South America’s strongest teams.

For Liquid, victory over PaiN Gaming opens the door for a chance to qualify for the Group Stage, where a Playoff place could be on the cards. If it can overcome its first-round opponents, a second-round clash against either BIG or FaZe Clan awaits.

China’s Counter-Strike 2 scene has continued growing, with several teams qualifying and receiving invites to the top-tier international events.

In recent months, TYLOO has started proving that the region can compete against Europe and the Americas on the big stage. Ahead of Cologne, the Chinese side won FISSURE Playground 1, despite using its coach as a temporary stand-in until the semi-final, where Ji ‘Jee’ Dongkai returned to the starting lineup.

Standout performances from Yi ‘JamYoung’ Yang earned him the MVP trophy, along with a wealth of momentum heading into the Play-Ins, where the team will face Virtus.pro in the opening round.

Another strong showing in Cologne could see TYLOO cement its place within the top ten of the Valve Regional Standings (VRS), putting it in an excellent position to secure a place at the Budapest Major.

FaZe Clan‘s 2025 has peaked and troughed with varying degrees of success. A third-place finish at PGL Bucharest suggested the momentum was building once again.

The North American organisation attempted to compete against the very best, bringing in Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyljev on loan for IEM Dallas and the Austin Major. The Major yielded some short-term success, with the team making it to the Playoffs. However, FaZe couldn’t move past The MongolZ in the quarter-finals to make a somewhat unexpected run to the final.

For Cologne, Helvijs ‘broky’ Saukants has returned to the starting lineup, and with it, a chance to lay the foundations for a strong end to a turbulent year. A first-round match against BIG is no easy task, but one that could inject plenty of confidence into a team that once dominated Counter-Strike esports.

With a wealth of talented teams from Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania competing, several teams are in contention to secure one of eight places in the Group Stage.

The experienced rosters of FaZe Clan and FURIA give the two sides a great chance of earning a Group Stage place, while the impressive form of TYLOO and Astralis also puts them in with an opportunity to advance.

Below are the teams Esports Insider predicts to advance:

Fans can tune into the Play-Ins of IEM Cologne 2025 across the ESL Twitch and YouTube channels.