Nigma Galaxy end their first TI with a top 6 finish

The International 2025 heats up as Nigma Galaxy, one of the favourites of the tournament, are eliminated.

Having surprisingly said goodbye to both Team Tidebound and Tundra Esports on Day 2 of The International 2025 playoffs, Day 3 kicked off with what many thought could be this year’s grand finals. Xtreme Gaming and Nigma Galaxy had the crowds packed into the Barclays Arena early on September 13th as they fought to stay alive at TI14. Unfortunately, the stars did not align, as Nigma fell.

Six years in the making – knocked out near the end

Nigma’s hopes of finally seeing the hallowed grounds of TI came true in 2025. After 6 years of putting together a team with some of the best players, many of whom came from Team Liquid’s TI7 winning roster, including coach Kuro "KuroKy" Salehi Takhasomi. Making it to TI14, the possibility of the stars aligning was there, but Xtreme Gaming proved a tall task for them.

Although Game 1 saw a much closer tie, it was Guo “Xm” Hongcheng’s Sniper that made the difference. Nigma were unable to ever find the hero on the backline, as XG rallied around him to secure a strong win. However, Game 2 was the cherry on the cake, as Nigma struggled to find their footing at all. From start to finish, XG stomped through their opponents.

With only 4 total kills in the second game, Nigma had no choice but to call GG and see the stars fade away from their TI 2025 hopes. For XG, they still remain alive, hoping to make it through to the grand finals on a lower bracket run.

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However, they will have a treacherous road ahead of them, with either HEROIC or BetBoom Team being their next opponent. Sadly, the road for Nigma Galaxy ends with a fifth/sixth place finish at TI 2025.