FaZe beat NAVI 3–2 in the IEM Cologne 2022 final

FaZe Clan defeated Natus Vincere 3–2 in the IEM Cologne 2022 grand final on July 17, closing one of Counter-Strike’s most demanding best-of-five series with a 16–14 win on Nuke.

Road to the final

FaZe arrived as the reigning PGL Antwerp Major champions and had already won IEM Katowice and ESL Pro League Season 15. NAVI entered Cologne with s1mple in MVP form and had beaten Astralis in the semifinal. The final therefore matched the two most convincing elite teams of the first half of 2022.

FaZe vs NAVI Cologne 2022 final: map-by-map recap

FaZe opened with a 16–13 win on Inferno before NAVI answered 16–13 on Overpass. Ancient went to overtime and NAVI took it 19–16, putting FaZe one map from defeat. FaZe recovered 16–9 on Mirage and then survived Nuke 16–14. The aggregate shape mattered less than the repeated late-round pressure on the decider.

The decisive pattern

FaZe’s refusal to collapse after Ancient was decisive. Twistzz supplied several high-impact multikills on Nuke, while the team’s spacing allowed trades when NAVI appeared ready to break the economy. NAVI still found openings, but FaZe converted the final defensive rounds before the series could reach another overtime.

Why the result still matters

The trophy completed FaZe’s run across Katowice, the Major and Cologne in the same season and paid $400,000. S1mple received the tournament MVP despite the final loss. The match remains a useful example of a best-of-five decided by resilience and adaptation rather than one dominant map.

Dates, scores, placements and prize information were checked against published tournament records. Tactical conclusions describe the recorded games and are not presented as quotations from players or coaches.

Sources: primary release notes or official records and supporting tournament or product documentation. Factual claims were checked against these records; interpretation is our own.

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