Gaimin Gladiators entered CrossFire Stars 2025 in Chengdu, China, as the top seed from the EUMENA region after winning their Regional Finals. The European squad came into the tournament with high hopes but faced a challenging bracket that would ultimately see their campaign end in the quarterfinals stage.

Tournament Format and Seeding

As the EUMENA Regional Finals champion, Gaimin Gladiators received a direct bye into the playoff bracket, skipping the group stage entirely. This privilege placed them among the elite eight teams competing in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals, alongside regional champions from China, Vietnam, and Brazil, as well as the top performers from the group stage.

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Upper Bracket: EVOS ARc Clash

Gaimin Gladiators drew EVOS ARc, the Philippines-based squad that had dominated Group C with a perfect record. The matchup took place on December 7, 2025, and proved to be a difficult test for the European team.

Despite taking the opening map on Eagle Eye 2.0 with a decisive 10-7 victory, Gaimin Gladiators couldn't maintain their momentum. EVOS ARc responded strongly, claiming Ankara 10-7 to even the series. The third map, Port, became a pivotal turning point as EVOS edged out a narrow 13-10 overtime victory. With their backs against the wall, Gaimin Gladiators couldn't recover on Black Widow, falling 10-6 as EVOS completed the 3-1 series comeback.

The defeat sent Gaimin Gladiators tumbling into the Lower Bracket, where elimination loomed with just one more loss.

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Lower Bracket: Facing XROCK

In the Lower Bracket Round 1 on December 8, 2025, Gaimin Gladiators faced XROCK, the second-place finisher from China who had swept through Group B without dropping a single map in the group stage. The Chinese squad proved to be too formidable an opponent for the struggling European roster.

XROCK dominated from start to finish, securing a convincing 3-1 victory that ended Gaimin Gladiators' tournament run. The loss meant elimination and a 7th-8th place finish at CrossFire Stars 2025, along with $50,000 USD in prize money.

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Tournament Placement

Gaimin Gladiators finished the event tied for 7th-8th place overall, sharing that position with Twisted Minds from Vietnam. While the result was disappointing given their seeding advantage, the team gained valuable international experience competing against some of the world's best CrossFire teams from China, the Philippines, Brazil, and across the EUMENA region.

The tournament was ultimately won by All Gamers from China, who defeated Team Stallions from the Philippines 3-2 in the Grand Final, cementing their status as the 2025 CrossFire world champions.

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