Team Vitality made a strong impression today by securing their first title of the 2026 season at the inaugural Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Kraków. A thrilling 3-1 victory against FURIA in the Grand Final at the Tauron Arena, after five hours of intense play.
After being crowned Team of the Year 2025 at the HLTV Awards , Team Vitality starts the year maintaining its strength and firepower . This victory puts the players in a good position to aim for another Grand Slam in 2026.
TEAM VITALITY: BACK TO BACK IN POLAND
It was the first major LAN of the year, and Team Vitality delivered. This victory marks the first triumph of the year for this exceptional roster, unchanged for a year: Dan "apEX" Madesclaire, Mathieu "zywOo" Herbaut, Robin "ropz" Kool, William "mezii" Merriman, and Shahar "flameZ" Shushan. It allows the team, currently ranked number one in the world, to extend its momentum into 2025 and reaffirm its commitment to remaining the dominant force in Counter-Strike 2.
In the group stage, Team Vitality qualified directly for the semi-finals by winning their matches against BC.G (2-0), 3DMAX (2-0), and Aurora (2-0). In the semi-final, the team easily defeated MOUZ 2-0 before facing the Brazilian team FURIA in the final (3-1).
Named MVP, the Frenchman zywOo guided the team to a resounding victory in Poland after a show of strength throughout the tournament, culminating in an electrifying final against FURIA.
After winning the last edition of IEM Katowice in 2025, Team Vitality won the first edition of IEM Krakow in 2026, also in Poland. The team achieved a historic double victory and maintained its status as the most dominant team on the circuit.
THE STORY CONTINUES IN 2026
After a historic 2025, marked by an ESL Grand Slam, a record-breaking 30-game winning streak, two consecutive Major victories, and the titles of Esports Team of the Year at the Esports Awards, the Game Awards, and the HLTV Awards, Team Vitality's Counter-Strike team was determined to start the new season with a bang. And they did!
Next step for the roster: the ESL Pro League Season 23 finals in Sweden, on March 13th.