Aurora Sweep FaZe with Stark Offensive Collapse to Advance in EWC

Aurora Sweep FaZe with Stark Offensive Collapse to Advance in EWC

At the Esports World Cup 2025, Aurora knocked FaZe out of the tournament in a commanding fashion. Despite a shaky start—falling 6–13 on Inferno—they bounced back emphatically, dismantling FaZe on Mirage (13–3) and Overpass (13–7) to secure their place in the quarterfinals. 

This was a revenge match for Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli’s squad, who had suffered a decisive 1–13 loss to FaZe on Mirage during IEM Cologne. That result exposed persistent issues on FaZe’s T-side for the Turks, who had managed only three rounds across the last four outings on Mirage before this showdown. 

Map-by-Map Breakdown

Inferno: FaZe’s defense stood tall early—thanks to Håvard “rain” Nygaard and Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski—but their offense collapsed. A blind double opener from Helvijs “broky” Saukants couldn't derail Aurora, who converted the pistol and rolled to a victory.

Mirage: Aurora flipped the script. A dominant first half saw them lead 10–2, powered by standout performances from Özgür “woxic” Eker and Ismailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş on defense. FaZe mustered just two rounds on the offense.

Overpass: Similar story—FaZe failed to secure a single T‑round in the second half and dropped eight straight.

Individual Standouts

EliGE dazzled across the series: on Inferno, he produced a +10.06% Round Swing and a 2.00 rating; his overall series rating stands at 1.50 with a +2.46% swing.

rain also impressed defensively (1.81 CT rating, +6.48% swing on Mirage), though overall his rating was modest.

For Aurora, woxic and XANTARES were formidable anchors on Mirage; both played key roles in shutting down FaZe’s offense.

Wicadia delivered clutch plays, including a quad kill on Mirage, helping seal the opening pistol and conversion.

FaZe’s Reflections

Håvard “rain” Nygaard was candid in the post-match HLTV interview, lamenting the team’s failure to execute on T-sides:

“Pretty shit to be honest … It sucks travelling all this way and going out so early … I think just the T sides were off on both Mirage and Overpass… I just feel like it was off … Most of the time when we executed, they were three or four there… we were a bit telegraphed compared to what we used to be.” 

He added: “The mood isn’t great, of course. Maybe it’s time to go back to the ground and take it one game at a time.” 

What’s Next

Aurora will face HEROIC in the quarter-finals. Their advancement marks a strong return to form after the Cologne loss and signals a serious threat moving forward at EWC. Fan reaction on Twitter echoed the excitement, with Aurora announcing simply: “W 2‑1 against FaZe gg wp, will play against Heroic at Quarter.”