IEM Cologne 2025 Grand Finals: MOUZ vs. Team Spirit – Preview, Predictions, and Result

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

2 Aug

Ganesh Jadhav

After 10 days of breathtaking Counter-Strike action, only two teams remain at IEM Cologne — MOUZ and Team Spirit.

MOUZ, the knights who have finally slain the Vitality dragon, will look to secure their second S-tier trophy.

Team Spirit, the CIS powerhouse led by donk, aims to take down MOUZ once more and cement their place as a top-three team.

The two contenders will take center stage at LANXESS Arena, and a best-of-five will decide the Conqueror of the Cathedral of Counter-Strike — the IEM Cologne Champion.

MOUZ – The David That Won

After losing to Team Vitality seven times in 2025, they finally did it — MOUZ took down their archnemesis in a dominant 2-0 victory earlier today.

The win was especially significant as, after their win over FURIA, torzsi confidently stated they would beat Vitality — and they delivered.

Though they did fall to Team Spirit in the Group B Finals, today’s triumph serves as a major confidence boost heading into the Grand Finals.

Team Spirit – Can donk Do It?

Team Spirit is having a phenomenal tournament. They’ve won every match so far, and when pushed to their limits today, they pulled through and secured their place in the Finals.

Their CT side remains the one exploitable weakness. However, they consistently show resilience and the ability to recover from tough positions.

If the full Spirit squad shows up tomorrow, they’ll be a formidable opponent for MOUZ.

A New King? MOUZ vs. Team Spirit Preview

Tomorrow will be the first time since BLAST Bounty Spring 2025, Team Vitality will attend a tournament but not play in the Finals. Essentially meaning, tomorrow for the first time in 2025, we will crown the challenger to Vitality’s dominance.

The IEM Cologne clash will feature teams with two distinct ideologies: tactical depth vs mechanical greatness. The five map series will be decided by possibly the smallest of margins, and whichever team shows up when it matters.

Whatever ensues, it starts with the map veto.

Map Veto Prediction

MOUZ bans Dust 2, Team Spirit ban Inferno
MOUZ picks Mirage, Team Spirit pick Ancient
MOUZ picks Train, Team Spirit pick Overpass
Nuke is the decider

Who will win?

In their previous confrontation, the first two maps went to overtime. We can expect the coming series to progress in similar fashion. Statistically, MOUZ is favored in the clash, as they have won 3/4 times they have met Spirit.

For Spirit, they can’t rely on Overpass to play out as it did in the previous match-up and they have to win Mirage and Ancient to secure a strong start and put MOUZ on the back-foot. Additionally, the complete team, including the newcomer zweih, has to show up if they want to take down a persistent team like MOUZ.

If Spirit find themselves in a disadvantageous position like they did against NAVI, MOUZ will not make similar mistakes, essentially shutting down any comeback hopes.

MOUZ has ample experience and skill to put Team Spirit away. Unfortunately, the individuals have a habit of disappearing during the final stages of the game. Especially Jimpphat, their anchor, who will be crucial against a T-side-heavy team like Spirit.

We expect a close 5 map game, with MOUZ’s momentum and elation helping them close out the game to secure their second trophy of the year.

Where to Watch

Catch the intense Bo5 action live tomorrow, August 3rd, at 05:00 pm CET on YouTube | Twitch | ESL Website.

Stay tuned after the Grand Finals for a special announcement as well!

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Featured Image Credits: ESL