Elimination day at IEM Cologne 2025 brings do-or-die clashes: Who’s going home?

The two GSL groups at IEM Cologne 2025 have been stacked from top to bottom, and it’s no surprise that just a couple of days in, several giants already find themselves on the verge of falling off. As elimination day looms, let’s take a look at the matchups set to unfold, and which teams might have the luck and momentum on their side heading into these do-or-die clashes.

Falcons vs. FURIA

From Group A, the first lower semi-final will pit Falcons against FURIA. On one hand, we have Falcons, debuting with kyousuke, one of the most hotly anticipated lineups of the season. Their opening against GamerLegion held promise, but what transpired against The MongolZ must have sent shockwaves through the fanbase. Hopes were high, but the fall was sudden. Still, if NiKo can shrug it off as an off-day, perhaps we too should withhold judgment, for now. They are sure to enter the Lower Bracket Semi-Final as the favourites, and that’s what gnaws at me.

Because the team they will be facing with elimination breathing down their throats is FURIA. And it’s been a minute since I could say this, but this iteration of FURIA is actually a joy to behold. With YEKINDAR and molodoy onboard, the lineup has been injected with new life. And it goes without saying that their loss against G2 wasn’t something many expected. While both Falcons and FURIA can attribute their missteps to a bad day at the office, it’s still disheartening that the curtains will fall for one team today at IEM Cologne.

FaZe vs. Liquid

Another day, another group of death, FaZe and Liquid now cross swords for nothing less than survival. It borders on tragicomedy that both these rosters, brimming with potential, have seen more stumbles than strides. Today, only one will claw their way out of the pithole, for now at least. The other team will continue to lick their wounds.

FaZe, who have lost only once to Liquid since last Cologne (and that was in Dallas), will be heading in as favourites. This is their match to lose, but for Liquid, another early exit would be yet another nail in the coffin. If you count their previous placements: 15th-16th at BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, 15th-16th at PGL Bucharest 2025, 9th-12th at IEM Dallas 2025, 5th-6th at IEM Melbourne 2025, and once again 15th-16th at Bucharest. Oh, and lest we forget, they failed to even qualify for ESL Pro League Season 22. The misfortunes are stacking up for Liquid, and an early exit here could set off alarm bells this early into the season’s second act.

G2 vs. 3DMAX and NIP vs. HEROIC

The second lower semi-final in Group A sees the new G2 take on 3DMAX. Another match that could go down to the wire. G2, now with huNter- calling the shots, isn’t looking half bad, but drawing Vitality in their second game was simply a cruel twist of fate. That loss sent them spiraling into 3DMAX’s path. And 3DMAX, for all their promise, have become serial heartbreakers, reliable only in their unpredictability. Even a win here would not secure safe passage forward. Still, part of me hopes for a G2 win, if only to set the stage for a Kovač showdown in the lower final.

Group B’s Lower Bracket battle brings us NIP vs HEROIC. Two teams desperately seeking redemption, both aiming to claw their way back into the top 20. Having drawn the short straw by starting off against heavyweights, this clash may serve as a mirror, each side measuring the other’s mettle, and perhaps rediscovering their own in the process.