FaZe and Aurora will open the Esports World Cup 2025 in a spectacular clash. The European giants are looking to reaffirm their status as favorites after a shaky summer run, while the Turkish squad will aim to prove once again that they can upset the top teams on the big stage.
Current Form of the Teams
FaZe
Over the past three months, FaZe have played 41 maps, winning 23. In July, the team took part in two major events: IEM Cologne 2025 (7–8th place) and BLAST Bounty Season 2 (9–16th place). Their recent results have been mixed — 3 wins (against BetBoom, Aurora, Liquid) and 2 losses (to Virtus.pro, NAVI). FaZe show strong potential but sometimes struggle under pressure in decisive matches.
Aurora
Aurora have played 30 maps in the last three months, winning exactly half of them — 15. At IEM Cologne 2025, they finished 9–12th, while at BLAST Bounty Season 2 they achieved a better result, placing 5–8th. In their latest matches, Aurora defeated HEROIC and FlyQuest but lost to FaZe, The MongolZ, and Team Spirit. This shows that the team can challenge top-tier opponents but still lacks consistency in their performances.

Map Pool
Based on recent statistics and tendencies:
- FaZe almost always ban Train. Their strongest maps are Ancient (82% win rate) and Mirage (56%). They usually pick Ancient or Nuke.
- Aurora usually ban Dust2. Their most comfortable maps are Inferno (80%) and Overpass (100%).
Possible pick-ban scenario in a bo3:
- FaZe ban Train.
- Aurora ban Dust2.
- FaZe pick Ancient.
- Aurora pick Inferno.
- FaZe ban Overpass to remove Aurora’s best map.
- Aurora ban Nuke.
- Decider — Mirage.
Head-to-Head
In the past six months, FaZe and Aurora have faced each other twice. At BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, Aurora pulled off a surprise victory in a bo1 on Anubis (13:5). However, at IEM Cologne 2025, FaZe took a convincing revenge, winning the series 2–0 without leaving Aurora many chances. This proves that Aurora can surprise in shorter formats, but FaZe remain stronger in longer series.

Match Prediction
FaZe enter this match as favorites thanks to their deeper map pool and recent wins in crucial games. Aurora, however, have already shown they are capable of upsetting top-tier teams in bo1 matches. Still, in a bo3, their chances decrease due to FaZe’s stability on Ancient and strong performance on Mirage.
Expected result: FaZe to win 2–1, with Aurora likely to put up a fight on their Inferno pick but ultimately falling short on the decider map.