The Chinese squad TYLOO and the Danish five Astralis will open the Esports World Cup 2025 in a clash that promises to be a fiery start to the tournament. Both teams come into the match with different momentum: TYLOO arrive after a sensational victory at FISSURE Playground 1, while Astralis are still searching for stability. Will the Danes take revenge for their recent defeats, or will the Chinese side confirm their status as a new force on the world stage?
Current Form of the Teams
TYLOO approach the opening match of the Esports World Cup 2025 in solid form. Over the past three months, they have played 37 maps and won 19. Last month, the Chinese squad shocked the scene by winning the title at FISSURE Playground 1, and also achieved a stable result at IEM Cologne 2025, finishing 9–12th. In their last five matches, TYLOO picked up three wins (against Complexity, SAW, and Astralis), losing only to 3DMAX and Virtus.pro. This shows the team’s ability to step up against top-tier opponents.
Astralis, on the other hand, have been inconsistent. Over the past three months, they played 36 maps but managed to win only 14. In July, they lost the FISSURE Playground 1 final to TYLOO, crashed out early at IEM Cologne 2025 (13–16th), and finished 5–8th at BLAST Bounty Season 2. In their last five matches, Astralis won only twice (against NAVI and Rare Atom), with losses against Vitality, MOUZ, and FURIA highlighting their struggles with stability and map pool depth.
Teams’ Map Pool
In a best-of-three format, the map veto process may look like this:
First bans:
- TYLOO will likely remove Dust2, their least comfortable map.
- Astralis, as usual, will ban Train.
Picks:
- TYLOO have an excellent win rate on Mirage (80%) and will likely pick it, as it has brought them success against strong opponents.
- Astralis are expected to go for Nuke (12 plays in three months, 58% win rate). It’s one of their most reliable maps, where they can outplay rivals tactically.
Second bans:
- TYLOO may remove Overpass to avoid risky scenarios.
- Astralis will likely ban Ancient, where TYLOO hold a solid 71% win rate.
Decider:
- The most probable decider is Inferno, a map both teams play regularly with fairly close win rates (TYLOO 60%, Astralis 67%).
Head-to-Head Record
In the past six months, TYLOO and Astralis have faced each other twice. First, in the group stage of FISSURE Playground 1, where TYLOO came out on top with a 2:1 victory. Later, in the grand final of the same tournament, the Chinese side once again proved stronger, winning the bo5 series 3:1. These back-to-back wins give TYLOO a clear psychological advantage heading into the Esports World Cup.
Match Prediction
Considering the current form and recent head-to-head history, TYLOO appear to be the favorites in this opening clash of the Esports World Cup 2025. Their strong map pool and recent victories over Astralis provide confidence. The Danes, while dangerous on Nuke and Inferno, are still struggling with consistency, and their latest results point to ongoing issues.
Prediction: TYLOO to win 2:1, with Mirage as their key weapon and a confident performance on the decider map sealing the victory.
