One of the oldest trophies in Counter-Strike tournaments is up for grabs this February. IEM Katowice 2025 officially kicks off on January 29. For two weeks, teams will battle to become champions at the Spodek Arena. Our Counter-Strike 2 IEM Katowice 2025 preview discusses potential outcomes for this tournament.
Eight teams have already received direct invites to the group stage of this contest: G2 Esports, Team Spirit, The MongolZ, MOUZ, Team Vitality, FaZe Clan, Natus Vincere, and Team Falcons. After the Play-In Stage, eight other teams will join them.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | Counter-Strike 2, Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2025 |
| 🧾 Format: | S-tier LAN tournament with 24 teams and a few stages |
| 🏟️ Venue: | Spodek Arena, Katowice, Poland |
| 🗓️ Dates: | Wednesday, January 29 – Sunday, February 9, 2025 |
IEM Katowice 2025 is a VRS-ranked event showcasing 24 competitive CS2 teams. All competing teams are invited based on their team rankings. These teams are also seeded based on their rankings. The top eight teams have secured direct invitations to the group stage.
Eight teams will join them after the play-in stage, which consists of 16 teams. Teams that achieve two wins will advance to the group stage. On the other hand, those that lose two matches will exit the competition.
The top six teams from the group stage will advance to the playoffs, with the leading team from each group moving straight to the semifinals. All matches at IEM Katowice 2025 will be best-of-three, including those in the play-in stage, while the grand final will be a best-of-five. IEM Katowice has a $1,000,000 prize pool, with the champion receiving VRS points and a substantial $400,000 share.
2025 CS2 sportsbooks have revealed outright odds for this event. Here, we disclose the CS2 IEM Katowice 2025 odds for the top five CS2 teams at Katowice:
Team Spirit is in fine form heading into this contest. They have won their last two competitions and will be eyeing a third consecutive victory as they head to Poland. The Belgrade-based organization won the Perfect World Shanghai Major in December 2024. They also won the first big CS2 event of 2025: BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals. In that tournament, Spirit Rifler Danil “donk” Kryshkovets emerged as the MVP of the tournament. Donk and his teammates will be keen to secure their third successive title win in Poland and defend the title they gained last year. Given their current form, they are outright favorites to achieve that goal.
Vitality has the second-best odds of winning this event outright. However, they must significantly improve their performances to clinch the title. For a side with exciting talents like ZywOo, flameZ, mezii, and new addition ropz, they underperformed at the BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals. They failed to make it past stage 1 of the event, losing 2:0 to Eternal Fire. They also failed to make it past the quarterfinals at the Perfect World Shanghai Major. Vitality must up their game if they wish to secure victory in Katowice.
Currently ranked third on the HLTV ranking, NaVi is a formidable contender with the potential to win the contest. They have begun 2025 on a strong note, reaching the semifinals of the Bounty Season 1 Finals. With that tournament behind them, NaVi will now aim for their first victory of the year. To achieve this, they need to enhance their win record, which is 53.3% over the past three months. Recently, they have suffered losses to teams such as Team Spirit, Heroic, MOUZ, and FaZe Clan. For NaVi to secure a tournament win, they must overcome the top teams at the event. Counter-strike bookies have backed NaVi with odds of 5.00 (4/1) to win this tournament.
MOUZ are always part of potential title contenders for any competitive CS2 event they compete in. However, they have difficulty defeating their opponents during the latter stages of most competitions. This team has reached the semifinals in four of their last seven competitive outings, with their best attempt in recent months seeing them clinch the second spot at IEM Rio 2022. They could not reach the main event after suffering a 2:1 loss to BetBoom during the BLAST Bounty Season 1 opening stage. MOUZ must also find a new cooperation way after benching their IGL “siuhy” and bringing “Spinx” to the roster before they become a real title contender.
FaZe claims the fifth spot among tournament favorites, though their ranking belies their true potential. When performing at their peak, they can topple any elite CS2 squad. Their runner-up finish at the 2024 Perfect World Shanghai Major marked a remarkable turnaround after months of struggling to advance past the quarterfinals. Despite recently missing the BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals, FaZe enters Katowice determined to bounce back. They could replicate the momentum propelling their impressive Shanghai Major campaign with a favorable draw in the early stages. Even Valorant betting websites have offered odds of 8.00 (7/1) for FaZe Clan’s outright tournament win.
Here are our CS2 predictions for IEM Katowice 2025:
2 (100%)
0
Spirit has maintained its exceptional momentum from late 2024 into the new year. The CIS organization clinched victories in its last two tournaments, boasting an impressive 78.3% win rate over the past three months. Its current 11-game winning streak demonstrates its dominance in competitive play. With its star player, Donk, performing at peak level, Spirit is the favorite to secure another championship title this year. So, it is unsurprising that most 2025 CS2 IEM Katowice predictions position them as the most likely winners of this event.
1 (50%)
(50%) 1
Bookies may consider Team Vitality as the second-best team to win this contest. However, given their poor showing in Copenhagen at the BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals, we do not see them making a long run in this contest. As a result, we are opting for Natus Vincere to reach the grand finals. The IEM Rio 2024 champions have what it takes to make a long run in this contest. They reached the semis of the BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals in their most recent outing. With a desire to go one step further and clinch a much-needed title for the Intel Grand Slam race, NaVi will give everything they have to reach the grand final, at least.
2 (100%)
0
Most bookmakers have positioned Virtus.pro as the likely winner of this contest. However, based on the current performances of both teams, we chose paiN to win. The Brazilian organization boasts a slightly better win rate of 56.2%, compared to Virtus.pro’s 50.0%. Concerning recent performances, paiN has won three of their last five games. Their opponents have two victories in six matchups. Furthermore, Virtus.pro’s core team has played just four maps in the past 30 days, which may leave them match rusty for this encounter. Given these factors, paiN Gaming has the advantage in this matchup.
2 (100%)
0
We expect to see a close encounter when both sides clash on Wednesday. However, given their recent head-to-head record, we favor SAw to win this matchup. SAw recorded two wins over GamerLegion last year, defeating them 2:1 and 1:0 in the ESL Challenger and PGL Major. With those wins in mind, SAw will be confident of getting another win against this familiar foe on Wednesday.
Here are our 2025 IEM Katowice betting tips for this tournament:
With their first tournament win of 2025 in the bag, Spirit will be keen on a second title this year. Given their momentum, we expect them to clinch it at this event. Feel free to use tips from this guide to bet on 2025 CS2 IEM Katowice and win cash prizes.
