• After three historic games in the playoffs against Into the Breach and Apeks, Team Vitality claimed victory against GamerLegion in the Grand Final of the tournament.
  • The Parisian team has won the first – and last – BLAST.tv Paris Major in its history, and obtains its 29th title since its founding in 2013.
  • #VforHistory – looking forward to the release of Counter Strike 2, Team Vitality has written a new page in its history in front of their French fans.

Team Vitality, the leading esports club in France and Europe, has just won the very first Paris Major in its history. In the ten years since its founding, the number 1 ranked club in the HLTV world ranking signs its first major title on the CS:GO shooting game. A flawless journey for the team which left its mark on the game’s final tournament, before moving to the highly anticipated CS2 this summer.

A PERFECT PATH TO VICTORY

Team Vitality saw a prominent start to the tournament by qualifying directly for the Legends stage of the BLAST.tv Paris Major championship. The team then secured its spot in the quarterfinals following a stellar performance with three resounding victories against G2, ENCE, and Monte. The team, made up of Frenchmen Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut and Captain Dan ‘apEX’ Madesclaire, Danes Peter ‘dupreeh’ Rasmussen and Emil ‘magisk’ Reif, and Israeli Lotan ‘Spinx’ Giladi, gave an incredible performance, building off the momentum of their IEM Rio victory in April.

Once qualified for the playoffs, Team Vitality maintained their rock-solid mentality to guarantee an incredible show for their fans. The bee team, which has never reached the semi-finals of a major CS:GO tournament before, found the support of hundreds of Golden Hornets fans and 60,000 spectators present during the 4 day tournament at the Accor Arena. After their victories against Into the Breach and Apekz in the playoffs, Team Vitality made history after an incredible victory against GamerLegion in the Grand Final, with ZywOo crowned MVP of the Major.

“I am filled with pride, for the whole team, our fans, our families, the staff, and our partners. The team gave a stellar performance that will stay with us for a very long time. For us, this is the result of opening the roster to international talent, who bring their own unique talents to the team. It is also the reward for assembling a tailor-made team to nurture the growth of our French talent, ZywOo, who makes us proud worldwide. This trophy shows that after 10 years of existence, we continue to write the history of French esports in the world.” says Fabien ‘Neo’ Devide, President and co-founder of Team Vitality

“We are living an incredible moment of happiness. We have been dreaming of lifting this trophy for years and this team has done it. It’s all the more moving because we are at home, in front of all the people we care about. We will never forget it. It’s the culmination of 10 years of work to make Team Vitality the club it is today: strong, ambitious, with lots of plans to keep the scene growing. We’ve just accomplished a dream: to leave our mark on the history of CS:GO by closing the end of this mythical game, and to obtain the greatest victory of the French esport. But more than ever, believe me, we are already looking to the future.” says Nicolas Maurer, CEO and co-founder of Team Vitality

A YEAR TO BUILD A HISTORY AND A COMMON AMBITION

The international shift began for us at the end of 2021 to strengthen the capacities of our two French talents, ZywOo and apEX. Thus Magisk, dupreeh, and eventually Spinx joined the team, bringing a high level of gameplay and bringing great cohesion to the roster. If, at first, communication is difficult, the team quickly creates a common ambition, that of winning its first Major in front of its fans in May 2023.

This increase in performance was possible thanks to the Team Vitality staff. Starting with the iconic duo, Danny ‘zonic’ Sørensen (coach) and Mathieu ‘MaT’ Leber (assistant coach), who helped raise the team to unmatched strategic levels. Additional thanks are given to the work of Lars Robl, Sports Psychologist and High Performance Manager, who forged this common goal in the minds of the athletes through a tailor-made preparation strategy lasting several months. Finally, it was Matthieu Péché, Olympic champion in canoe-kayak at the 2016 Summer Olympics and Team Manager of the team, who maintained the team’s consistency and tenacity throughout the many demanding tournaments of the CS:GO scene.

V FOR HISTORY: ON THE ROAD TO CS2

More than Team Vitality’s 29th title, this victory symbolises a key chapter in its history. A date on which the bee team won the hearts of millions of fans around the world. As the curtain falls on the CS:GO era, giving rise to CS2, Team Vitality unveils a new #VforHistory campaign, a nod to its historic motto #VforVictory. This evolution bears witness to their triumph during the BLAST.tv Paris Major, a victory which has changed their trajectory forever and underlines the accomplishments of this extraordinary team.

Team Vitality’s victory marks a defining moment in its history on the eve of its tenth anniversary. It’s the story of a team driven by its dreams which resonates throughout the world.