NAVI, MOUZ, Vitality & SAW Secure Spots at Cathedral of Counter-Strike

In the Group Stage of IEM Cologne 2024, we've already seen some shocking results from the best Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports teams in the world, including Team Spirit's early exit in Group A. 

With three days of top-tier CS2 completed and the IEM Cologne 2024 Group Stage closing out on 13 August 2024, four teams have already secured a spot in the Playoffs stage, and thereby, the chance to play in front of a roaring crowd at the LANXESS Arena in Cologne, Germany, also known by the community as the "Cathedral of Counter-Strike."

SAW & NAVI Top Group A

In Group A, NAVI made quick work of Brazillian hopefuls paiN Gaming with a clean 2-0 (13-4 on Anubis and Mirage). NAVI went on to face a revitalized Astralis. Despite the Danish side putting up a fight, NAVI managed another clean 2-0 sweep (13-4 on Ancient and 13-7 on Mirage), with Mihai "iM" Ivan and Justinas "jL" Lekavicius on top form. NAVI thereby secured a spot in the final of Group A and, therefore, a guaranteed place in the Playoffs.

On the other side of the bracket, Portuguese team SAW, who clawed their way through the Play-In stage, shocked G2 Esports with a 2-0 win (13-5 on Nuke and 13-10 on Inferno). With momentum on their side, SAW reverse-sweeps The Mongolz. After losing Ancient 16-13, SAW came back swinging with a 13-7 win on Nuke and a 13-10 win on Anubis to secure a spot in the Group A final against NAVI.

G2 Esports now faces paiN Gaming in Group A for the final spot in the IEM Cologne 2024 Playoffs.

MOUZ & Vitality Top Group B

In Group B, MOUZ showed why they've been considered one of the best teams in the world for most of the year, knocking down Team Falcons with a 2-1 (13-6 on Nuke, 11-13 on Vertigo, and 13-9 on Ancient) and then beating a solid Complexity squad 2-0 (13-9 Vertigo and 13-11 Nuke).

On the other side of the bracket, Team Vitality got off to a fantastic start, decimating FURIA with a 2-0 (13-3 on Inferno and 13-2 on Mirage), with the Brazillian side only picking up five rounds across both maps. Vitality then showed their big match temperament by reverse-sweeping FaZe Clan. Finn "karrigan" Andersen's men won Inferno 13-8, but Vitality recovered in spectacular fashion to win Dust2 in overtime with 16-12, and then close out the series on Anubis with a 13-9 win to secure a spot in the Group B final against MOUZ.

The winner of FaZe vs. Falcons and Complexity vs. Liquid will compete later today (13 August 2024) for the final spot in the IEM Cologne 2024 Playoffs.

Remember, the top three teams from each group advance to the playoffs, with the winners advancing directly to the Semifinals, the runners-up to the Quarterfinals as the High Seeds, and the 3rd-places in each group to the Quarterfinals as the Low Seeds.

IEM Cologne 2024's Playoffs Stage features a a single-elimination bracket, where the Quarterfinals and Semifinals are BO3, and the Grand Final is BO5, leaving little room for error.

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