The Europe MENA League Challenger Series 2025 Swiss Stage took place between April 10 and April 13, reducing the number of competing teams from sixteen to eight squads. Although the playoffs won't start until April 26, we already know how the bracket looks like.
Remember, the playoffs follow a double-elimination system with BO3 matches, so teams can afford to lose one game. The two team's that reach the tournament's grand final will get promoted to the Europe MENA League 2025 Stage 1 — also known as EML 2025 Stage 1.
Note: Not all Swiss Stage matches were streamed. You can check SiegeGG's Europe MENA League Challenger Series 2025 stats here.
MACKO Esports vs. Good Intentions
Last year's European Tier 2 champions MACKO Esports is one of the main candidates to take one of the two available spots to ascend to Europe and MENA's top flight. So far, the Italians' start to Year 10 is going as expected.
After wins against Passion Esports, Les galériens, and WYLDE, the Italian roster finished the Swiss Stage with a 3-0 record — being the only ones to do so alongside the tournament-favorites Twisted Minds.
The Italians' first playoff match will be against Good Intentions, which could be labeled as the bracket's Cinderella. The British-majority squad had an outstanding start to the Swiss Stage with victories against Ryujin and Honvéd, but back-to-back 0-2 defeats against Twisted Minds and Geekay Esports put them between a rock and a hard place. Finally, Good Intentions clinched a playoff spot after a 2-0 win against the MENA and European mix, Onyx Ravens.
Geekay Esports vs. Eminem Academy
Curiously enough, both Geekay Esports and Eminem Academy had similar Swiss Stage runs. After kicking off the competition with 1-2 defeats against WYLDE and Honvéd, respectively, both rosters ended up clinching a playoff spot after three back-to-back wins.
Without a doubt, this is the closest match of the four. Both lineups include experienced players in Europe's Tier 2, with Geekay Esports being slightly ahead due to the team having players with international experience — including G2 Esports' former Lucas "Hungry" Reich and the BLAST R6 Major Atlanta, Six Invitational 2024, BLAST R6 Major Manchester, and Esports World Cup 2024-bound Osama "Tr1ixd" Zahrani.
While it's difficult to predict a winner, it's fair to say Geekay Esports should be the favorites on paper.
Twisted Minds vs. Honvéd
Without a doubt, Twisted Minds aren't just favorites to win the series but also to win the whole thing.
The former Team Falcons core, which claimed back-to-back international Top 8 finishes at the BLAST R6 Major Montreal and Six Invitational 2025, have completely dominated the Europe MENA League Challenger Series 2025 after winning their three games by 2-0 scores — including wins against FanDePiuko, P45 Company, and Good Intentions.
Meanwhile, the Hungarian roster of Honvéd struggled to find the right results to finish among the top eight sides in the Swiss Stage. With victories against Eminem Academy, Myth Esports, and FanDePiuko, the Hungarian lineup survived to the first stage of the competition despite the team's defeats against Good Intentions and Les galériens.
Les galériens vs. WYLDE
Last but not least, the highly-experienced orgless roster Les galériens will face off against WYLDE's former academy roster, now competing as the organization's main lineup.
If we look at each player and previous results, it's fair to say Les galériens are the favorites to win the series. Led by the former Team Vitality and Wolves Esports captain Bastien "BiBoo" Dulac, the French project also includes two former ENCE players in Théo "Frenchy" Leguay and Baptiste "JaKs" Dedienne. The roster is completed with Jawad "Linkoo" Oudghiri and Marteau.
While Les galériens may be ahead in terms of experience and overall level, WYLDE's core has built great chemistry and an impressive working ethic after having played together for almost a year. The team's core was put together in Juny 2024 and have only made one change since then with the addition of Mateus "Matz" Rocha.