The MongolZ march on to EWC semis over 3DMAX

The Asian giants had to work hard to win their second match in Riyadh.

The MongolZ have locked down a spot in the semi-final stage of Esports World Cup 2025 with a 2-1 victory against 3DMAX.

The French side, fresh off an upset victory against Natus Vincere on Filip "⁠Graviti⁠" Brankovic's IGL debut, did well to force a decider after losing their map pick but could not complete the comeback on Nuke, where a poor CT showing proved costly in the end.

Only one match separates The MongolZ from their second consecutive grand final appearance. They're now awaiting the outcome of Vitality vs TYLOO to determine their next playoff opponent.

Date	Matches
Esports World Cup 2025
23/08/2025	The MongolZ 16:30 Vitality	Match

3DMAX jumped out to an early lead on Ancient, but the complexion of the game shifted once The MongolZ had money to work with. The difference in individual skill was on display as they kept their opponents at bay during a dominant 10-0 run, with Azbayar "⁠Senzu⁠" Munkhbold leading the charge with an impressive 2.25 rating, a 143 ADR and a 5-0 opening duel record.

3DMAX knew they had a mountain to climb to turn the game around, and began to chip away at the deficit after losing the pistol. They got as close as three rounds before The MongolZ put the game to bed, with Sodbayar "⁠Techno⁠" Munkhbold the difference-maker on the T side with multi-kills in each of his team's round wins.

3DMAX looked the brighter of the two teams during the early stages of Inferno as they hopped out to a 5-1 lead on the CT side. But all it took was one mistake for the game to get away from them: The MongolZ took control of proceedings after winning a round with just pistols, and found an equaliser just before half-time.

The MongolZ failed to capitalize on that momentum as 3DMAX calmly won the pistol round and the ensuing two rounds to pick up a 9-6 lead. The Mongolians then found a lifeline as Techno single-handedly won the first gun round with a big quad-kill on A, but their respite proved brief as 3DMAX locked down the map after a chaotic end to the game.

The MongolZ looked much more composed on Nuke as they strolled to a 9-3 lead on the T side after keeping 3DMAX from stringing rounds together. Lucas "⁠Lucky⁠" Chastang led the French team's comeback efforts in the second half, and though they managed to make the scoreline competitive, it proved too little, too late as The MongolZ wrapped up the series with back-to-back round wins.

More highlights from 3DMAX vs The MongolZ:

• bLitz with another knife kill

• Ex3rcice gets pistol 3K on Inferno

• Techno deletes Maka with reaction shot

• Ex3rcice 1v2 for map point

• bLitz wreaks havoc on the 3DMAX defense

• 910 puts his team on series point with stylish 3K