{"id":30633,"date":"2025-11-02T16:29:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T16:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/?p=30633"},"modified":"2025-11-02T16:29:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T16:29:18","slug":"iem-chengdu-2025-all-you-need-to-know-before-the-action-starts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/news\/cs-2\/iem-chengdu-2025-all-you-need-to-know-before-the-action-starts\/","title":{"rendered":"IEM Chengdu 2025: All You Need to Know Before the Action Starts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The S-tier event <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pro.eslgaming.com\/tour\/cs\/chengdu\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/pro.eslgaming.com\/tour\/cs\/chengdu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IEM Chengdu 2025<\/a> <\/strong>is on its way and starts tomorrow, running from <strong>November 3<\/strong> to <strong>November 9<\/strong>. The tournament&#8217;s total prize pool is <strong>$1 million<\/strong>, consisting of <strong>$700,000<\/strong> for the club share and <strong>$300,000<\/strong> for the player share. Sixteen teams will be attending the event, among the participants are elite-level teams such as the world&#8217;s best team, <strong>Vitality<\/strong>, second-place team <strong>FURIA<\/strong>, <strong>Spirit<\/strong>, <strong>Natus Vincere, <\/strong>and others. Here, we will break down the tournament format, the opening matches schedule, how to watch and not miss the action, and share our opinions on the favorites &amp; underdogs of this tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">IEM Chengdu 2025 Tournament Format<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Group Stage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Two double-elimination format (GSL) Groups<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Each group has eight teams<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All matches are Bo3<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The top three teams from each group advance to the Playoffs:<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Group stage winners advance to the Semifinals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Group stage runners-up advance to the Quarterfinals as the High Seeds to the Semifinals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Group stage 3rd place teams advance to the Quarterfinals as the Low Seeds<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Playoffs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Single-Elimination bracket<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All matches (excl. Grand Final) are Bo3<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Grand Final is Bo5<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">IEM Chengdu 2025 Teams, Favorites &amp; Underdogs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td>Vitality<\/td><td>Spirit<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Natus Vincere<\/td><td>FURIA<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>TheMongolZ<\/td><td>Falcons<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>MOUZ<\/td><td>Virtus.pro<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>FaZe<\/td><td>G2<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>HEROIC<\/td><td>TYLOO<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>3DMAX<\/td><td>paiN<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Lynn Vision<\/td><td>Astralis<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">IEM Chengdu 2025 Teams<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/vit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-30636\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/vit.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/vit-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/vit-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/vit-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/vit-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vitality at BLAST Open Spring<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Top Contenders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Vitality<\/strong>, <strong>FURIA<\/strong>, <strong>Falcons, <\/strong>and <strong>Spirit <\/strong>will be the main favorites for this tournament. <strong>Vitality <\/strong>is still the best team of the year, with no doubt, while the other teams had great results throughout the year and proven that they belong to the top level, making deep playoff runs or even winning some titles. It could also be <strong>The MongolZ<\/strong>, but they recently made a roster change, and it was their key player getting benched, so they belong more to the dark horse category before proven otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dark Horses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>So, for the dark horses of this tournament, it will be <strong>TheMongolZ <\/strong>playing their first big tournament after an unexpected roster change they&#8217;ve made. Right behind them, it will be <strong>G2<\/strong>, <strong>Natus Vincere<\/strong>, <strong>MOUZ<\/strong>, and <strong>FaZe, <\/strong>as all of these teams have the experience needed to make a deep run and give a good fight for a title, but they will need to find consistency and bring their best game, and then there&#8217;s no doubt that they can beat any top team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Underdogs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The rest of the team is underdogs as usual, for the same reasons, such as having less experience than any other team in this tournament. Still, we would like to mention <strong>3DMAX, <\/strong>who have had a few great results recently and made it to the grand final of<strong> the CS Asia Championship 2025<\/strong>. They&#8217;re the underdog to look out for at this tournament as well. As for the rest of the underdog teams, we have yet to see what they&#8217;re capable of on a big stage and if they can even reach the playoffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">IEM Chengdu 2025 Opening Matches Schedule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gr1-1024x288.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-30638\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gr1-1024x288.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gr1-300x84.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gr1-768x216.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gr1-150x42.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gr1-450x126.jpg 450w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gr1.jpg 1153w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">IEM Chengdu 2025 Groups &amp; Upper Bracket<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">November 3<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>TYLOO <\/strong>vs. <strong>Falcons <\/strong>and <strong>FURIA <\/strong>vs. <strong>Lynn Vision <\/strong>starting at <strong>04:00 CET<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>MOUZ <\/strong>vs. <strong>FaZe <\/strong>and <strong>VItality <\/strong>vs. <strong>Virtus.pro<\/strong> starting at <strong>06:30 CET<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>TheMongolZ <\/strong>vs. <strong>HEROIC <\/strong>and <strong>G2 <\/strong>vs. <strong>3DMAX <\/strong>starting at <strong>09:00 CET<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Astralis <\/strong>vs. <strong>Natus Vincere <\/strong>and <strong>paiN <\/strong>vs. <strong>Spirit <\/strong>starting at<strong> 11:30 CET<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Watch IEM Chengdu 2025<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"340\" src=\"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/twitch-1024x340.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-30637\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/twitch-1024x340.png 1024w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/twitch-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/twitch-768x255.png 768w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/twitch-150x50.png 150w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/twitch-450x149.png 450w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/twitch.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Streaming Platform Twitch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>IEM Chengdu 2025&nbsp; <\/strong>will be streamed live for viewers worldwide. You can enjoy every thrilling moment at home, at work, or on the go.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There will be official <strong>Twitch <\/strong>and <strong>YouTube <\/strong>streams:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.twitch.tv\/ESLCS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IEM Chengdu 2025 Official Twitch Primary Stream<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/ESLCS\/streams\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IEM Chengdu 2025 Official YouTube Stream<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.twitch.tv\/ESLCSb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IEM Chengdu 2025 Official Twitch Secondary Stream<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">All Eyes on Chengdu<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"690\" height=\"460\" src=\"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/iemchentro.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-30635\" style=\"width:780px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/iemchentro.webp 690w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/iemchentro-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/iemchentro-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/iemchentro-450x300.webp 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 690px) 100vw, 690px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">IEM Chengdu 2025 Trophy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As <strong>IEM Chengdu<\/strong> kicks off, fans should prepare themselves for an exciting week of top-tier <a href=\"https:\/\/www.counter-strike.net\/cs2?l=english\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.counter-strike.net\/cs2?l=english\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>CS2<\/strong> <\/a>action. With elite teams participating in the tournament, such as <strong>Vitality <\/strong>and <strong>FURIA<\/strong>, who are chasing glory once again, and dark horses like <strong>TheMongolZ <\/strong>looking to prove themselves with an updated roster, every match promises high stakes and unforgettable moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you&#8217;re cheering from home or tuning in on the go, don&#8217;t miss a second &#8211; this is shaping up to be one of the most exciting tournaments of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The S-tier event IEM Chengdu 2025 is on its way and starts tomorrow, running from November 3 to November 9. The tournament&#8217;s total prize pool is $1 million, consisting of $700,000 for the club share and $300,000 for the player share. Sixteen teams will be attending the event, among the participants are elite-level teams such<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":30634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[5,247],"class_list":{"0":"post-30633","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cs-2","8":"tag-cs2","9":"tag-cs2-tournaments"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30633"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30639,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30633\/revisions\/30639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}