The results of the group stage of the Esports World Cup 2025 in VALORANT came as a surprise to many fans—some “dark horses” managed to advance to the playoffs, while favorites exited the tournament. Let’s take a look at how the teams handled the old map pool, which still includes Split and Pearl but does not feature Corrode.

Map Pool Overview
Sunset — 10 matches
Defenders’ win rate:47%
Attackers’ win rate: 53%

Sunset was the most popular map of the group stage. A slight tilt in favor of the attacking side reflects the map’s flexibility and its ability to support various playstyles. The frequent selection of this map and the win statistics indicate its excellent balance and suitability for diverse strategies.

Icebox — 9 matches
Defenders’ win rate: 48%
Attackers’ win rate: 52%

Icebox maintains a slight tilt towards the attackers but overall remains quite balanced. Its complex verticality and deep utility game create constant pressure for both sides.

Lotus — 7 matches
Defenders’ win rate: 45%
Attackers’ win rate: 55%

Lotus once again demonstrates an advantage for the attacking side—due to the necessity of defending three Spike plant sites. At the same time, noisy and slow rotations through opening doors somewhat offset this advantage.

Haven — 5 matches
Defenders’ win rate: 66%
Attackers’ win rate: 34%

Haven is the only map with clear dominance of the defending side, despite the presence of three Spike plant sites. It is worth noting that this figure significantly differs from the previous major tournament—Masters Toronto 2025, where the defense advantage was only 4%.

Ascent — 3 matches
Defenders’ win rate: 51%
Attackers’ win rate: 49%

Ascent remains a neutral map—almost perfectly balanced. It is a reliable choice for teams looking to avoid significant loss of momentum after side switching.

Pearl — 2 matches
Defenders’ win rate: 53%
Attackers’ win rate: 47%

Pearl has already been removed from the active map pool, so its low popularity is expected. However, at EWC 2025, the matches are played using the old map pool, so the map was still used.

Split — 1 match
Defenders’ win rate: 45%
Attackers’ win rate: 55%

Split was selected only once—in the match between NRG Esports and PRX, where the teams seemingly “forgot” about the updated map pool and played on both Pearl and Split. NRG claimed victory. In this match, the attacking side had the advantage, although typically the defensive side is stronger on this map. Nevertheless, one match is not statistically significant.

The situation may change drastically with the start of the playoff stage, which will run from July 11 to 13. Eight teams will continue their fight for a share of the large $1,250,000 prize pool and club points.