FaZe come into IEM Cologne 2025 after a month-long break, following the end of the season and their run at the Austin Major, where they finished 5th\u20138th alongside s1mple. In the past 3 months, the team played 36 maps and won 17 of them. Despite a modest win rate, FaZe showed glimpses of strength in victories over The MongolZ, Legacy, and MOUZ. However, losses to The MongolZ and Aurora reveal some inconsistency. The break may have been beneficial, giving the team time to reset and prepare.<\/p>\n
BIG<\/strong><\/p>\n BIG had an eventful summer, participating in multiple tournaments: they finished 5th\u20138th at Exort The Proving Grounds, 3rd\u20134th at CCT Season 3 Europe Series 3, won the DACH Masters Season 1 Finals, and placed 9th\u201312th at FISSURE Playground 1. Over the past 3 months, the team played 61 maps, winning 30. However, their recent form is mixed \u2014 they\u2019ve only won 2 of their last 5 matches (against B\u00e4rendienst and MOUZ), while suffering losses to NIP, Complexity, and BetBoom. BIG look active and prepared, but not entirely stable.<\/p>\n Based on past bans and map preferences, the likely pick\/ban sequence could be:<\/p>\n The teams have faced each other once in 2025 \u2014 at IEM Katowice. FaZe took the win 2-1 with the following map scores:<\/p>\n This history suggests FaZe have already found success against this version of BIG, especially on Ancient and Nuke \u2014 two maps that could appear again in this series.<\/p>\n Despite BIG\u2019s recent tournament activity, FaZe enters this matchup as the favorite. The break after the Major gave them time for recovery and focused preparation. Having already defeated BIG earlier this year, FaZe should feel confident heading into the series. A strong showing on Ancient, composure on Nuke, and superior individual skill may be enough to push them over the line.<\/p>\n Predicted score: 2\u20131 in favor of FaZe.<\/strong><\/p>\n BIG, however, are likely to claim Inferno, where they hold their highest win rate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After the summer break, top-tier teams return to action, and one of the most anticipated matchups of the IEM Cologne 2025 opening stage is FaZe vs BIG. FaZe step onto the server following a break and bootcamp, while BIG have stayed active with a packed tournament schedule. The big question is \u2014 who will adapt […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":213348,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[516,509,746],"class_list":["post-213347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-big","tag-faze","tag-iem-cologne-2025"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/skin.club\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PGL-CS2-Astana-2025-Group-Stage-Day-1-Part-3v-2-X3-1024x605.webp\")
<\/p>\nMap Pool Breakdown<\/h2>\n
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Head-to-Head<\/h2>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/skin.club\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/54589241124_1819fb6ce7_k-1-1024x618.webp\")
<\/p>\nMatch Prediction<\/h2>\n