After the opening three days of play, FaZe Clan and The MongolZ have become the first teams to qualify for the PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 Playoffs. With six places left to claim in the Playoffs, there’s still plenty to play for in the exciting Swiss format. Let’s take a look at the teams who have progressed, and those who are already on their way home.
FaZe Clan overcome MOUZ
Credit: Sebastian Pandelache | PGL
In what proved to be a fantastic day at the office for new addition EliGE, FaZe Clan were able to beat MOUZ in a convincing 2:0 series. MOUZ have actually looked a lot better than I expected throughout PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 so far, but were unable to find a map win here against what I believe are now the CS2 tournament favorites.
Truthfully, this should have been a three-map affair at minimum. MOUZ gained what should have been an insurmountable lead at the start of map one, but a huge FaZe Clan comeback meant any momentum on their side had been completely halted. Not an ideal moment in Brollan’s early IGL career, but it could prove to be a good learning experience if they can bounce back to make the Playoffs in the coming days.
The MongolZ edge out tough contest with paiN Gaming
Credit: Sebastian Pandelache | PGL
Elsewhere, The MongolZ became the second team to make it to the Playoffs of PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 by beating paiN Gaming 2:1. This was truly a back-and-forth series, with The MongolZ taking maps one and three. I have to give it up for paiN, who made this one competitive every step of the way, with nqz playing a star role in particular to drag them into the series.
It all just fell apart for paiN Gaming at the very end of this. The MongolZ went onto the CT side in the map three decider, and didn’t drop a single round as they romped to the Playoffs. Alongside FaZe Clan, The MongolZ are my favorites to win this event, so I’m glad these two have already secured their spots in the next stage.
Imperial Valkyries and FlyQuest flop in Cluj-Napoca
Credit: Sebastian Pandelache | PGL
For both Imperial Valkyries and FlyQuest, PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 was a tournament to forget. For the ladies on Imperial Valkyries, their relatively competitive matches in previous 2025 CS2 events counted for nothing. They looked totally outmatched against a Complexity team that hadn’t won a single map in 2025 so far, and it could be a while before we see them in this type of match again.
Meanwhile, FlyQuest didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory, either. They fell in the 0:3 bracket by losing 2:1 against SAW, a team that has already confirmed two of its players will be kicked after this tournament. As a fairly new roster (after adding regali over the offseason), it doesn’t really get much more embarrassing than losing to a dead team walking. Despite not being big-name individuals on paper, this FlyQuest team still feels like less than the sum of its parts at the moment.
While we have our first qualified and eliminated teams, the Swiss bracket still has plenty to play out. Check out the current standings and upcoming fixtures at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 below:
2:1 Bracket
- MOUZ vs. Falcons
- 3DMAX vs. Eternal Fire
- paiN Gaming vs. Virtus.pro
1:2 Bracket
- Wildcard vs. BIG
- Astralis vs. MIBR
- Complexity vs. SAW