The semifinal stage of IEM Chengdu 2025 continues with an explosive showdown — FURIA vs Falcons. At stake is a spot in the grand final, a chance to fight for $125,000, and crucial VRS points. This is a clash of two lineups in excellent form: the Brazilian powerhouse FURIA, riding a wave of confidence after victories over The MongolZ and G2, and the European superteam Falcons, who crushed TYLOO, Spirit, and Astralis without dropping a single map.
IEM Chengdu 2025 — the main LAN of the autumn
The IEM Chengdu 2025 tournament runs from November 3 to 9 in Chengdu, China. The 16 best teams in the world are battling for a $1,000,000 prize pool, with $300,000 going directly to the players and the rest distributed among organizations. The playoff format is Single Elimination (Bo3), while the grand final will be played in a Bo5 format.
After the group stage, giants such as Heroic, FaZe, and Natus Vincere have already been eliminated, leaving the spotlight on two powerful teams fighting for a place in the final — where they will face the winner of Vitality vs MOUZ.
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Head-to-head — a narrow edge
FURIA and Falcons have faced each other 11 times in 2025, with the Brazilians holding a slight advantage — 5 wins vs 3 losses, along with three overtime matches.
In their recent meetings at ESL Pro League Season 21, Falcons fell 13–16 and 14–16, but later managed to defeat FURIA on Train and Nuke at FISSURE Playground 2.
This makes the upcoming semifinal highly unpredictable — both teams know each other’s playstyle well, and the LAN format combined with psychological pressure only heightens the intensity.
Current form
- FURIA — aggression, experience, and resilience
FURIA (#2 HLTV, #1 VRS) continues to show impressive consistency, boasting a 74.2% win rate over the last three months. After winning the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 (3–2 against NAVI), the team hasn’t slowed down. The leaders — KSCERATO (rating 1.25, ADR 83.5) and yuurih — combine discipline with explosive individual play. Veteran FalleN once again shines as both strategist and AWPer, while young talent molodoy impresses with his composure in post-plant situations.
Recent results:
- 2–0 vs The MongolZ
- 2–0 vs G2
- 2–0 vs Lynn Vision
- 1–2 vs MOUZ
The team has won 6 of their last 7 Bo3 series, showing their strongest trend in the past six months.
- Falcons — control, synergy, and peak form
Falcons (#3 HLTV, #3 VRS) have won 83.3% of their matches over the past three months. With the arrival of m0NESY and under the leadership of zonic, the team has finally found stability. Their game plan focuses on aim dominance (especially from NiKo and m0NESY) and intelligent tempo control led by kyxsan.
m0NESY currently boasts a 1.32 rating and 83 ADR, the best of all players at IEM Chengdu. His aggression on Mirage and Nuke creates space for NiKo, who adds structural discipline and control in every round.
Recent results:
- 2–0 vs Astralis
- 2–0 vs Spirit
- 2–0 vs TYLOO
Falcons have won three series in a row and look like the main favorite to reach the grand final alongside Vitality.
Map pool & veto
Stats from the last three months (FURIA | Falcons):
- Dust2: 50% | 67%
- Mirage: 64% | 100%
- Inferno: 62% | 45%
- Nuke: 78% | 88%
- Train: 67% | 40%
- Overpass: 85% | —
- Ancient: — | 100%
Predicted veto:
Falcons are likely to remove Overpass, where FURIA has an 85% win rate.
FURIA will probably ban Ancient, a map where Falcons have a 100% win rate.
Expected picks:
- Falcons — Mirage or Nuke
- FURIA — Inferno or Overpass
Decider map: Dust2 — both teams have similar statistics, but Falcons tend to dominate in the first half, while FURIA is more stable in retakes.
Key duels
- m0NESY vs KSCERATO — a sniper duel that will set the pace of the match. m0NESY is in brilliant form, but KSCERATO remains one of the best riflers in the world in LAN play.
- NiKo vs yuurih — a clash of control and creativity. NiKo dominates the mid-round game, while yuurih can flip the momentum with fast flanks.
- kyxsan vs FalleN — the battle of captains. FalleN brings immense experience from major finals, but kyxsan continues to show growing strategic maturity, allowing Falcons to dictate the pace from the start.
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Prediction
This is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing semifinals of the year. Falcons look technically sharper, but FURIA possesses incredible mental resilience and chemistry forged through years of LAN experience. If FalleN can neutralize m0NESY’s aggression and KSCERATO maintains his form, the Brazilians have every chance to reach the grand final.
Predicted score: FURIA 2–1 Falcons.
