Tonight, Team Vitality scores another major victory by clinching its fourth title of the 2026 season, after a masterful performance against Team Spirit (3-0) in the IEM Rio Grand Final. A dazzling victory that marks a historic turning point: the team becomes the first roster in Counter-Strike history to win two consecutive ESL Grand Slams.
After a series of victories in ESL competitions at IEM Dallas 2025, ESL Pro League 2025, and IEM Kraków (2026), this success in Rio completes the quest for excellence that began several months ago. This victory is the final step towards achieving the Grand Slam, which comes with an additional $1,000,000 prize pool.
With this new trophy, Team Vitality continues to write its legend in Counter-Strike at a breakneck pace.
A (ALMOST) PERFECT TOURNAMENT!
IEM Rio brought together the 16 best teams in the world in front of a passionate and excited Brazilian audience. In this high-intensity context, Team Vitality once again came in as the favorite, with a major objective in mind: winning the Grand Slam.
From their very first match against RED Canids, the elite roster composed of Dan "apEX" Madesclaire, Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut, Robin "ropz" Kool, William "mezii" Merriman, and Shahar "flameZ" Shushan perfectly launched their campaign, extending an exceptional streak of 24 consecutive matches without conceding a single map. G2 put an end to this dynamic by winning 2-1 against the future Grand Slam winners. In the quarter-finals, Team Vitality convincingly defeated NAVI (2-0), before confirming in the semi-finals against FURIA with the same score (2-0).
In the Grand Final, Team Vitality met Team Spirit for a controlled showdown from start to finish, concluding with a decisive 3-0 score, synonymous with a second ESL Grand Slam.
True to his level of excellence, ZywOo once again shone in Rio, earning the MVP title thanks to his consistency and impact in decisive moments.
TEAM VITALITY DOMINATES AND ACHIEVES THE FEAT
With its victory at IEM Rio, Team Vitality further etches its name in history by becoming the first organization to win two ESL Grand Slams, and consecutively at that. An unprecedented performance that illustrates the team's domination over the past two years and establishes this roster as the undisputed benchmark of the CS2 era.
On an individual level, ropz also reaches a historic milestone by becoming the first player to win three ESL Grand Slams, after a first victory with FaZe Clan in Season 4. Already crowned the best team of 2025 in the HLTV 2025 ranking, the quest now is to become the best of all time.
"In 2026, we continue to operate at the same high standards set in 2025, stringing together victories. In this tournament, I felt a team that enjoys itself and plays with the ambition not only to win but also to make history by becoming the only organization to win two ESL Grand Slams. It's important to remember that only five teams in history have ever managed to win even one, which further highlights the significance of this performance," explains Fabien Devide, founder and President of Team Vitality. "This is a significant moment in the history of these exceptional players and in the club's legacy. They are making Team Vitality not only the best CS club in the world but perhaps one of the greatest of all time. We are living an extraordinary moment. We must remain humble and continue to enjoy it."