Once again, Dallas hosts the prestigious Intel Extreme Masters. This year’s tournament includes competitive CS2 teams such as Vitality, Falcons, MOUZ, and FaZe with s1mple replacing broky. Team Vitality enters as favourites following their recent BLAST Rivals title win and fifth in a row. The question now is: can they maintain their dominant run? Our Counter-Strike 2 IEM Dallas 2025 preview reveals key details about this tournament.
Despite being a few hours after the PGL Astana, IEM Dallas 2025 will feature top CS2 teams. Some teams have chosen to prioritise one event due to the tight scheduling overlap. Last season’s finalist, Vitality, now enters as a tournament favourite with strong momentum. The six-day event begins May 19 and wraps up on May 25.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | Counter-Strike 2, Intel Extreme Masters Dallas 2025 |
| 🧾 Format: | S-tier LAN tournament with 16 teams and a few stages |
| 🏟️ Venue: | Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Centre, Dallas, USA |
| 🗓️ Dates: | Monday, May 19 – Sunday, May 25, 2025 |
IEM Dallas 2025 will host 16 teams, invited through regional qualifiers and ESL picks. Teams are split into two groups of eight, competing in a double-elimination bracket. All group-stage matches are best-of-three, with seeding determining initial pairings.
Winners advance through the upper bracket, while first-round losers drop to elimination matches in the lower bracket. Each group’s upper-bracket winner progresses directly to the semifinals. The second and third-placed teams from each group move into the quarterfinals, with second-place teams seeded higher than third.
Six teams, three from each group, move on from the group stage. The playoffs follow a single-elimination format, with all matches, including the final, played as best-of-three series. The grand final crowns the champion and awards them the largest share of the prize. The total prize pool is $1 million, with the champion claiming $125,000. All other teams will receive a financial award based on final standings.
CS2 IEM Dallas 2025 odds are now live across all top-rated CS2 sportsbooks with high odds, and we cannot see s1mple with FaZe among the top contenders. In this section, we break down the winning prospects of the tournament’s top five contenders before revealing our CS2 predictions for IEM Dallas 2025:
Team Vitality enters IEM Dallas 2025 in red-hot form, winning 25 straight matches. This run has broken Liquid’s 23-match win streak, making it the second-longest in Counter-Strike history just behind Ninjas in Pyjamas’ legendary 60-game unbeaten record. Their recent 3-2 win over the Falcons at BLAST Rivals final and triumphs at IEM Melbourne and the ESL Grand Slam highlight their dominance. Since adding Robin “ropz” Kool, they’ve looked nearly unstoppable. After finishing as runners-up last year, Vitality now emerges as the top favourite to claim the title in Dallas.
Team Falcons have quickly established themselves as serious contenders, showing strong form and resilience. They claimed their first title of 2025 with a commanding win over G2 in the PGL Bucharest grand final. Since then, they’ve reached consecutive finals, falling short against Vitality on both occasions. Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov’s impressive debut was key to their run at the BLAST Rivals finale. As m0NESY continues developing chemistry with the squad, the Falcons look well-positioned to rechallenge Vitality and push for another title.
MOUZ has recently demonstrated consistent form, producing strong performances in tournaments. They reached the grand final at BLAST Open Spring 2025 after an impressive playoff run, narrowly finishing second. In IEM Melbourne, they cruised through the group stage with three dominant wins but lost to the Falcons in the semifinals. Their tactical adaptability and team cohesion stand out, making them serious title contenders heading into this contest.
Aurora made a strong impression at PGL Astana 2025, advancing to the playoffs after a problematic start and even overpassing The MongolZ in the quarters. They recovered from early losses to BIG and NAVI by securing key victories over HOTU and Ninjas in Pyjamas, followed by a commanding 2–0 win against ODDIK. That result secured their spot in the quarter-finals, keeping their title hopes alive. Aurora also reached the quarter-finals of PGL Bucharest 2025, where they were eliminated by Complexity. With such consistent performances in recent tournaments, Aurora heads into IEM Dallas 2025 as a dark horse, but they can be weak and not rested after the Saturday game in Kazakhstan.
The MongolZ holds the seventh spot in the HLTV rankings and boasts an impressive 75% win rate over the past month. They secured notable group stage victories against NAVI, MIBR, and FURIA at PGL Astana 2025, but lost to the Turkish squad of Aurora. At IEM Melbourne, they reached the semifinals before falling to Vitality. Though entering IEM Dallas 2025 as underdogs, their aggressive playstyle and recent form suggest they have the tools to make a deep run in the tournament.
Here are our betting predictions for CS2 2025 IEM Dallas:
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Vitality has dominated in 2025, securing six titles, including BLAST Open Spring, IEM Melbourne, and BLAST Rivals Spring. Their recent win over the Falcons in the BLAST Rivals final pushed their LAN unbeaten streak to 25 matches. Many teams competing in Dallas have fallen to them during this run, solidifying Vitality’s status as the team to beat. They arrive at IEM Dallas as the top contender, backed by a well-rounded lineup. ZywOo, who claimed MVP honours at BLAST Rivals with a 1.31 rating, remains one of the standout performers this season. Given their strengths, several 2025 CS2 IEM Dallas predictions back them to triumph in Dallas.
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Team Falcon has displayed impressive consistency, reaching the final in three straight events. They clinched a dominant 3-0 win over G2 to triumph at PGL Bucharest 2025. Subsequently, they reached the IEM Melbourne and Blast Rivals finals but lost to Vitality. These defeats indicate that they are the 2nd most in-form team in CS2. They might not have the resilience to overcome Vitality yet. However, the best bookies for computer gaming have offered them odds of 1.88 (7/8) to reach the final in Dallas.
2 (100%)
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Team Falcons’ recent rise makes them strong favourites to outperform MOUZ in this tournament. In the past month, the Falcons secured a title and reached two more consecutive finals. Only Vitality denied them further glory, beating them twice in high-stakes April finals. Meanwhile, MOUZ last lifted a trophy in February and have since trailed behind. They lost to the Falcons in the semifinals at Melbourne and BLAST Rivals. This further indicates Falcon will likely outrank MOUZ again in this tournament.
Here are our 2025 IEM Dallas betting tips:
Team Vitality’s dominant title wins and unbeaten streak recently place them as a top contender to win in Dallas. Using information from this guide, ensure you bet on the 2025 CS2 IEM Dallas.
