3DMAX and Astralis concluded the Play-In stage with victories over TyLoo and pain respectively, advancing to the second stage of IEM Cologne 2025. Both teams won their decisive lower bracket matches, demonstrating resilience and consistent performance on crucial maps.

3DMAX vs. TyLoo
The match kicked off on Inferno — TyLoo 's pick, where the teams engaged in an intriguing CS battle. The score was tied at 12:12 in regulation time, and it was only in the third overtime that 3DMAX managed to edge out their opponent — 22:20. On their map Ancient , 3DMAX appeared more confident, making a comeback from a 9:3 deficit after the first half to win 13:10.

The standout player of the match was Lucas "Lucky" Chastang, who secured 59 kills with 45 deaths and an ADR of 91.2. His contribution was particularly notable in clutch moments on both maps. 

Astralis vs. pain
The match began on Nuke — pain 's pick, where Astralis immediately took the initiative, conceding only four rounds to their opponent and winning 13:4. On the next map Ancient , pain regrouped and managed to even the series, confidently winning 13:8. The final map was Inferno, where the teams were neck and neck until the very end. With the score at 7:9 in favor of pain , Astralis , thanks to a clutch by jabbi, won the round and subsequently the series overall, with a final score of 13:11.

The standout player of the match was Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard, who secured 56 kills with 39 deaths and an ADR of 79.4. He consistently racked up kills across all maps, becoming the main hero in decisive rounds on Inferno. 

Both teams — Astralis and 3DMAX advance to the main stage of IEM Cologne 2025. Their opponents and match schedule will be announced later. TyLoo and pain exit the tournament just shy of the main stage, earning $4,500 in prize money.

IEM Cologne 2025 takes place from July 23 to August 3 in Germany . The tournament's prize pool is $1,000,000.