All participants of the IEM Katowice 2025 playoffs have been confirmed

<h2>The playoff participants are Vitality, NaVi, Eternal Fire, The MongolZ, Virtus.pro, and Team Spirit.</h2><p>On the final day of the group stage, it was decided who would advance and who would fall just one step short of the playoffs.</p><h4>The first elimination matches took place between GamerLegion vs. Astralis and Spirit vs. Liquid.</h4><p>The revamped GL roster had been showing solid performances after recent changes and was considered a worthy opponent for the legendary Astralis. However, the match ended quickly, with both maps finishing 13-7 in favor of GL. The standout player was Aldrich '<a href="/en/players/pr" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/pr" target="_self">PR</a></a>' Novi, who delivered an impressive 49-18 KD across two maps with a 1.82 rating.</p><p>Spirit, the best team of 2024, came prepared for their match against Liquid after a tough three-map loss to NaVi and left no chances for their opponents, securing a 2-0 victory.</p><h4>The matches for direct semifinal spots featured Virtus.pro vs. Vitality and NaVi vs. The MongolZ.</h4><p>Surprisingly, Virtus.pro displayed an exceptional level of play at this tournament. Against Vitality, they had a real shot, given that 'The Bees' were not in their best form. However, a 0-2 scoreline sent 'The Bears' to the quarterfinals, largely thanks to the efforts of Mathieu '<a href="/en/players/zywoo" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/zywoo" target="_self">ZywOo</a></a>' Herbaut.</p><p>NaVi, having beaten Spirit earlier, were clear favorites against the Mongolian squad and lived up to expectations with a 2-0 victory.</p><h4>The final matches for quarterfinal spots were between Eternal Fire vs. FaZe Clan and GamerLegion vs. Spirit.</h4><p>The most intense match of the day was between GamerLegion and Spirit. The series went to three maps—GL took the first with a 13-11 score, but the CIS squad, led by Leonid '<a href="/en/players/chopper" target="_self">chopper</a>,' stepped up and dominated the next two maps with 13-6 and 13-4 victories, thanks in large part to&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/donk" target="_self">donk</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/sh1ro" target="_self">sh1ro</a>.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Turkish squad Eternal Fire left no chances for FaZe Clan, completely shutting them down on Anubis. They then secured a victory on their opponent’s map pick after a dramatic overtime, winning 25-22. The standout player of this match was İsmailcan '<a href="/en/players/xantares" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/xantares" target="_self">XANTARES</a></a>' Dörtkardeş.</p><p>The next stage begins on February 7, 2025, and will conclude with the grand final in a BO5 format on February 9.</p>

G2 failed to reach the playoffs of IEM Katowice 2025

<h2>After NiKo left G2 and HeavyGod joined, the team's performance noticeably declined and is far from its previous level.</h2><p>In the elimination match, G2 faced FaZe Clan, who changed their playstyle with the addition of&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/elige" target="_self">EliGE</a>, which clearly benefited them.</p><p>The first map,&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-mirage" target="_self">Mirage</a>, picked by FaZe, was intense: the match was decided only in overtime, where FaZe secured a 16-13 victory.</p><p>On the second map,&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-inferno" target="_self">Inferno</a>, G2 managed to defend their pick, winning 13-10.</p><p>The third map,&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-nuke" target="_self">Nuke</a>, where both teams are statistically strong, was the decider. FaZe Clan dominated their opponents, finishing the first half on T-side with a 6-6 score and then closing the map 13-8. An interesting fact: G2 has now been eliminated from a tournament for the third time after losing on Nuke. The team might need to reconsider keeping the legendary Janusz "<a href="/en/players/snax" target="_self">snax</a>" Pogorzelski, as he consistently puts up negative stats, and his decisions as an IGL don’t always yield results.</p><p>The only G2 player with a positive K/D in this match was Ilya "<a href="/en/players/monesy" target="_self">m0nESY</a>" Osipov.</p>

The first teams eliminated from the Play-in stage at IEM Katowice 2025

<h2>On the second day of the tournament, three elimination matches took place: Virtus.pro vs. SAW, Astralis vs. FlyQuest, and BIG vs. Imperial fe.</h2><h4>Virtus.pro vs. SAW</h4><p>After VP’s disappointing performance on the first day against the Brazilian team paiN, it seemed like they were not ready for the tournament following their roster changes. However, in the elimination match, they came well-prepared to face SAW and secured a dominant victory, leaving almost no chances for the Portuguese squad with a 2-0 scoreline (13-4 on Dust2 and 13-3 on Inferno). The best player of the match was Petr "<a href="/en/players/fame" target="_self">fame</a>" Bolyshev, who delivered an impressive 37-14 K/D across two maps with a 1.80 rating.</p><h4>FlyQuest vs. Astralis</h4><p>Both teams had a rough start on the first day, but the Danish squad was considered the favorite due to their star players, including Nicolai "<a href="/en/players/device" target="_self">device</a>" Reedtz and Casper "<a href="/en/players/cadian" target="_self">cadian</a>" Møller. This was the only match of the day that went the full distance, with all three maps played. The teams traded maps and met on the deciding map, Inferno, where the battle continued until the very last round. At 12-11 in favor of Astralis, during an A-site push, FlyQuest couldn't break through device’s defense, as he secured a crucial 4K to close out the game in Astralis’ favor.</p><h4>BIG vs. Imperial fe</h4><p>This match sparked a lot of discussion, as BIG had been highly inconsistent lately, suffering losses that seemed impossible. For Imperial fe, this was a great opportunity to claim their first victory at a major tournament and prove that women's CS can compete at the highest level. However, despite the efforts of Russian player Alexandra "<a href="/en/players/twenty3" target="_self">twenty3</a>" Timonina, the female squad couldn’t put up enough resistance and lost 0-2, exiting the tournament. It’s worth mentioning that Imperial fe played with their coach as a substitute since another Russian player, Viktoria "<a href="/en/players/tory" target="_self">tory</a>" Kazieva, faced visa issues.</p>

End of Premier Season One in CS2

<h2>Premier Season Two Update in CS2</h2><p>Valve has launched the second season of Premier matchmaking, removing&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-vertigo" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-vertigo" target="_self"><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-vertigo" target="_self">Vertigo</a></a>&nbsp;from the Active Duty map pool and replacing it with&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-train" target="_self">Train</a>. In addition, several gameplay changes that were previously announced have been implemented.</p><h4>Key Changes:</h4><ul><li>The price of the&nbsp;<a href="/en/skins/m4a4" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/skins/m4a4" target="_self"><a href="/en/skins/m4a4" target="_self">M4A4</a></a>&nbsp;has been reduced by $200, making it equal to the&nbsp;<a href="/en/skins/m4a1-s" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/skins/m4a1-s" target="_self"><a href="/en/skins/m4a1-s" target="_self">M4A1-S</a></a>.</li><li>The&nbsp;<a href="/en/skins/famas" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/skins/famas" target="_self"><a href="/en/skins/famas" target="_self">FAMAS</a></a>&nbsp;is now cheaper, with its price reduced to $1950 and improved accuracy.</li><li>Crouching accuracy for the MP9,&nbsp;<a href="/en/skins/mp5-sd" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/skins/mp5-sd" target="_self"><a href="/en/skins/mp5-sd" target="_self">MP5-SD</a></a>, and&nbsp;<a href="/en/skins/mp7" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/skins/mp7" target="_self"><a href="/en/skins/mp7" target="_self">MP7</a></a>&nbsp;has been nerfed. This change came as a surprise, as MP9’s main strength was its high accuracy while moving.</li><li>The&nbsp;<a href="/en/skins/aug" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/skins/aug" target="_self"><a href="/en/skins/aug" target="_self">AUG</a></a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="/en/skins/sg-553" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/skins/sg-553" target="_self"><a href="/en/skins/sg-553" target="_self">SG-553</a></a>&nbsp;scopes have been adjusted to improve usability at long range.</li></ul><h4>Premier Mode:</h4><ul><li>Premier Season Two has started, and matchmaking is available again.</li><li>Players who had a CS Rating in Season One will receive a commemorative medal with detailed season statistics.</li><li>CS Rating has been recalibrated based on Season One performance, requiring 10 wins to re-establish the rating.</li><li>Train has been added to the Active Duty map pool.</li><li>Vertigo has been removed from the Active Duty map pool.</li></ul><h4>Interface:</h4><ul><li>A new radar dynamic zoom option has been added.</li><li>The grenade order in the spectator UI now matches the weapon selection order.</li><li>The brightness of the C4 in the UI has been increased.</li></ul><h4>Maps (Train):</h4><ul><li>A boost from Long Dog to Bombsite A has been removed.</li><li>Fixed lighting issues on double-sided materials.</li></ul><h4>Miscellaneous:</h4><ul><li>Players can now view incomplete demo files, such as those copied from live matches or recovered after a server crash.</li><li>Fixed an exploit with the&nbsp;<a href="/en/skins/r8-revolver" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/skins/r8-revolver" target="_self"><a href="/en/skins/r8-revolver" target="_self">R8 Revolver</a></a>&nbsp;that allowed players to use secondary fire before selling the weapon.</li><li>Counter-strafe logs are now available in the server logs via log address, in addition to the console logs.</li></ul><p>Among pro players, opinions on the gameplay changes have been mixed. Ilya "<a href="/en/players/monesy" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/players/monesy" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/monesy" target="_self">m0NESY</a></a>" believes the changes are beneficial and will add variety to the game, while his new teammate Nikita "<a href="/en/players/heavygod" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/players/heavygod" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/heavygod" target="_self">HeavyGod</a></a>" Martynenko is disappointed with the&nbsp;<a href="/en/skins/mp9" target="_self">&nbsp;</a><a href="/en/skins/mp9" target="_self"><a href="/en/skins/mp9" target="_self">MP9</a></a>&nbsp;nerf, as he considered it a strong&nbsp;<a href="/en/smg" target="_self"><a href="/en/smg" target="_self">SMG</a></a>&nbsp;option.</p>

Team Spirit - Champions of BLAST Bounty Season 1

<h2>The Russian team defeated the Turkish team in the final with a score of 3:1.</h2><p>The Eternal Fire squad had a challenging journey to the grand final. In the first stage of the playoffs, they faced Vitality, featuring the star ZyWoo. Many fans expected Eternal Fire to lose, but they confidently started on their map Anubis, winning 13:9. Eternal Fire didn't stop there, securing another victory on Mirage with a score of 13:11. The most valuable player on the Turkish team was Ismailcan "<a href="/en/players/xantares" target="_self">XANTARES</a>" Dörtkardeş, who finished with a 44–24 scoreline and a 1.53 rating.</p><p>In the semifinals, Eternal Fire faced an even tougher challenge against G2. The match went to three maps, but on the decider, Nuke, Eternal Fire proved superior, clinching a 13:11 win.</p><p>For Team Spirit, the tournament was much easier. The Russian team reached the final without losing a single map.</p><p>The final, played in a BO5 format, began with Anubis, considered the strongest map for Eternal Fire. The Turkish team showcased this strength by making an impressive comeback from 4:12 on the weaker defensive side, thanks to the strategic decisions of their captain, Engin "<a href="/en/players/maj3r" target="_self">MAJ3R</a>" Küpeli. At this point, it seemed likely the match would go to five maps, with a possible Turkish victory. However, starting from the second map, the game was entirely dictated by Team Spirit.</p><p>The following maps — Nuke, Dust2, and Mirage — ended with decisive victories for the Russian team: 13:6, 13:3, and 13:8, respectively. The final score was 3:1 in favor of Team Spirit.</p><p>The tournament's MVP was Daniil "<a href="/en/players/donk" target="_self">donk</a>" Kryshkovets, who delivered consistently exceptional performance throughout the event."</p>

An Unexpected Roster Change in MOUZ

<h2>MOUZ Announce That siuhy Will Be Benched</h2><p>After a significant wave of roster changes on the pro scene, it seemed like major reshuffles were behind us. However, on January 22, 2025, MOUZ announced on their social media that&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/siuhy" target="_self">siuhy</a>&nbsp;had been benched. Following this announcement, many rumors surfaced regarding who would replace him and take on the role of captain. According to the most reputable sources and verified insiders,&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/brollan" target="_self">Brollan</a>&nbsp;is expected to take on the captaincy for the next tournament, while the team is reportedly in talks with&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/spinx" target="_self">spinx</a>, who recently left Vitality.</p><p>As for siuhy's future, it remains uncertain, especially since he recently renewed his contract with the organization. According to MOUZ’s statement on social media, the primary reason for this decision is disagreements between siuhy, the team, and management regarding the team’s development direction. Some speculate that this situation may have been influenced by&nbsp;<a href="/en/blog/eight-teams-advanced-to-LAN-stage-of-blast-bounty-2025-season-1" target="_self">MOUZ’s defeat against BetBoom</a>&nbsp;during the online stage of BLAST Bounty 2025.</p><p>At the upcoming IEM Katowice, which is set to start soon, the replacement player will be Adrian "<a href="/en/players/xelex" target="_self">xelex</a>" Winche from the MOUZ NXT academy roster. This gives xelex a chance to prove himself on the Tier 1 scene.</p>

Eight teams that advanced to the LAN stage of BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 1

<h2>Eight top teams have successfully navigated the single-elimination online format and will head to Copenhagen to compete for the BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 1 title.</h2><p>The top four seeds—G2, Spirit, Natus Vincere, and Vitality—lived up to their status as favorites. However, teams like MOUZ and FaZe failed to make the cut.</p><p>Joining them in the LAN stage are underdogs HEROIC, debuting their refreshed roster, and BetBoom, who made roster changes at the start of the year. Unfortunately, BetBoom will compete in Copenhagen without Kirill "<a href="/en/players/boombl4" target="_self">Boombl4</a>" Mikhailov and Aleksandr "<a href="/en/players/zorte" target="_self">zorte</a>" Zagodyrenko due to visa issues.</p><p>The participant list is completed by paiN and Eternal Fire, both of whom made key roster adjustments and have already delivered impressive performances.</p><p>On January 22, BetBoom, paiN, Eternal Fire, and HEROIC will have the opportunity to choose their opponents from among the top-seeded teams for the next stage of the tournament.</p>

Jame replaces ArtFr0st in PARIVISION

<h2>Summary of changes in PARIVISION and the newlineup</h2><p>After the announcement of&nbsp;<a href="/en/blog/updated-roster-virtus-pro" target="_self"><a href="/en/blog/updated-roster-virtus-pro" target="_self">roster changes in Virtus.Pro</a></a>, there was much speculation about where their sniper and captain,&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/jame" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/jame" target="_self">Jame</a></a>, would go. However, on January 13, 2025, it was officially confirmed that he would replace the young and talented sniper&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/artfr0st" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/artfr0st" target="_self">ArtFr0st</a></a>, who was moved to the bench.</p><p>On the same day, PARIVISION announced the signing of two additional players: TRAVIS and nota, both from AMKAL’s bench.</p><p>The current PARIVISION roster is as follows:</p><ul><li>Alexey "<a href="/en/players/qikert" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/qikert" target="_self">Qikert</a></a>" Golubev</li><li>Andrey "<a href="/en/players/belchonokk" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/belchonokk" target="_self">BELCHONOKK</a></a>" Yasinskiy</li><li>Dzhami "Jame" Ali</li><li>Emil "<a href="/en/players/nota" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/nota" target="_self">nota</a></a>" Moskvitin</li><li>Alexander "<a href="/en/players/travis" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/travis" target="_self">TRAVIS</a></a>" Timkiv</li><li>Dastan "dastan" Akbayev (coach)</li></ul>

HEROIC has completely disbanded their roster and is assembling a new one

<h2>The last HEROIC roster lasted for more than half a year and achieved decent success during this time.</h2><p>The first to announce their transfer was a trio consisting of Damjan '<a href="/en/players/kyxsan" target="_self">kyxsan</a>' Stoilkovski, Abdul '<a href="/en/players/degster" target="_self">degster</a>' Gasanov, and René '<a href="/en/players/teses" target="_self">TeSeS</a>' Madsen. The players joined Team Falcons, where they teamed up with&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/magisk" target="_self">Magisk</a>&nbsp;and Nikola '<a href="/en/players/niko" target="_self">NiKo</a>' Kovač, who had left G2 and joined the lineup a few days before the HEROIC trio.</p><p>Next to leave the team was&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/nertz" target="_self">NertZ</a>, who transferred to Liquid to replace&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/yekindar" target="_self">YEKINDAR</a>, who had been benched.</p><p>The last player to leave the roster was&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/sjuush" target="_self">sjuush</a>, who had been with the team for nearly four years. His future team remains unknown.</p>

Train to Replace Vertigo at Austin Major

<h2>The first Major of 2025 will feature an updated map pool.</h2><p>Valve has announced that Train will replace Vertigo at the BLAST.tv Austin Major, marking Train’s return to CS2 Majors for the first time since 2019.</p><p><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-train" target="_self">Train CS2</a>&nbsp;was removed from the active duty map pool in May 2021 to make room for Ancient. After the release of Counter-Strike 2, the map was temporarily unavailable but made a comeback with a rework in November 2024.</p><p>While Train has retained its recognizable structure, the rework introduced significant changes, such as the removal of the ladder in Pop Dog and a partially rerouted path from Ivy to site A.</p><p>The addition of Train means&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-vertigo" target="_self">Vertigo in CS2</a>&nbsp;will leave the active duty pool. Despite numerous updates made by Valve since Vertigo was introduced to CS2 in 2019, the map has elicited mixed reactions from the Counter-Strike community.</p><p>Let’s take a moment to recall some players who showcased stellar performances on this map during the CS:GO era, still competing today, and who could deliver masterful gameplay:</p><ol><li>Oleksandr "<a href="/en/players/s1mple" target="_self">s1mple</a>" Kostyliev</li><li>Nicolai "<a href="/en/players/device" target="_self">device</a>" Reedtz</li><li>Gabriel "<a href="/en/players/fallen" target="_self">FalleN</a>" Toledo</li><li>Aleksi "<a href="/en/players/allu" target="_self">allu</a>" Jalli</li><li>Ladislav "<a href="/en/players/guardian" target="_self">GuardiaN</a>" Kovács</li></ol><p>At the Shanghai Major, Vertigo was played only three times in the elimination stage and not a single time during the playoffs, as many top teams opted to ban the map outright.</p><p>Valve has not specified the exact date for the map rotation, but their announcement confirmed that the change will take effect by the start of the BLAST.tv Austin Major.</p>