Spirit Sweep MOUZ to Win IEM Cologne 2025

Team Spirit defeated MOUZ 3–0 on August 3 to win IEM Cologne 2025. The final combined a controlled opening map, the series’ defining comeback and a decisive finish, giving Spirit one of Counter-Strike’s most prestigious arena trophies.

How the final unfolded

Spirit won MOUZ’s Mirage pick 13–7, then recovered from a difficult Ancient half to take the map 13–11. MOUZ had reached an 11–5 advantage on Ancient, but Spirit won eight consecutive defensive rounds. Nuke ended 13–6, completing the sweep before the best-of-five required a fourth map.

The decisive factor

Danil “donk” Kryshkovets led the series with 62 kills and a 1.60 HLTV Rating 3.0. His multi-kills powered the Ancient recovery, but the sweep also depended on Spirit repeatedly solving late-round situations as a team. MOUZ struggled to convert attacking rounds once Spirit’s defense established control.

What the result means

The victory completed Spirit’s collection of elite IEM trophies across Katowice and Cologne alongside a Major title. For this lineup, it also validated the introduction of Ivan “zweih” Gogin on a stage where small communication problems are normally punished. MOUZ again reached a major final but left without converting the opportunity.

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