We have just witnessed Team Vitality’s spectacular conquest of IEM Katowice 2025, where they claimed the coveted trophy with a decisive 3–0 sweep over a Team Spirit. This victory not only marks Vitality’s first-ever ESL Katowice championship but also cements their position as one of the dominant forces in Counter-Strike 2. Fans and analysts alike have been enthralled by the synergy between Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut and Robin “ropz” Kool, who delivered stellar performances throughout the tournament.
By choosing to pair the explosive rifling talents of ropz with the all-around firepower of ZywOo, Vitality essentially constructed a new core that could go toe-to-toe against the world’s best—most notably Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, who entered Katowice as arguably the hottest player in the scene. With the steady leadership of Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, Vitality’s goal was clear: restore the team’s position at the top of the global CS2 rankings and bring home trophies.
This first major event of the year became an opportunity for Vitality to prove that their high-risk offseason strategy could yield immediate rewards. The new lineup showcased tremendous potential in online qualifiers leading up to IEM Katowice 2025, but it was crucial for them to demonstrate consistency in a LAN environment. All eyes were on ropz to see if he could seamlessly fit the system and complement ZywOo’s explosive and intuitive style, and this mission was successfully accomplished
🏆 @TeamVitalityCS LIFT THE #IEM KATOWICE 2025 TROPHY 🏆 pic.twitter.com/4LhcJehGlC
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) February 9, 2025
Vitality’s Road to the Grand Finals
Vitality’s campaign kicked off in Group A, where they asserted dominance from the get-go:
- Opening Series vs. 3DMAX (2–0)
Vitality swept through 3DMAX swiftly and laid down a marker of their strong synergy, dropping only a handful of rounds across both maps. This comfortable opening test let ropz settle in and get used to the team’s communication structure on LAN. - Facing FaZe (2–1)
The next showdown featured a tense reunion between ropz and his former team, FaZe, culminating in a nail-biting triple-map series. Vitality’s only map loss of the entire tournament occurred here, but they emerged victorious thanks to a double-overtime thriller on Dust II. - Against Virtus.pro (2–0)
Once FaZe was dealt with, Vitality advanced to face Virtus.pro in the Group A Winners’ Final. ZywOo and ropz spearheaded another convincing sweep, earning Vitality a direct spot in the semifinals of the Playoffs. Their map control and tactical depth left spectators marveling at the evident synergy forming around the Vitality roster.
Vitality’s semifinal was a best-of-three against The MongolZ, who were hoping to cause an upset on the grand stage. But Vitality prevailed with a precision, sweeping Mirage (13–7) and Nuke (13–9):
- ZywOo led with a staggering 41 frags across two maps, while ropz followed up with 32 frags.
- The team showcased a T-side execution rate that reached 60.4%, the highest in the tournament—a stark improvement from previous events.
With that victory, Vitality locked in their grand final berth and set the stage for an epic clash against Team Spirit.
Team Spirit’s Path to the Final
Spirit started Group B with a dominant victory over Astralis, sweeping the Danes in straight maps. However, they faced adversity at the hands of Natus Vincere, losing 1–2 and dropping to the lower bracket. This setback forced Spirit into a high-stakes slog, where they first overcame Team Liquid before edging out GamerLegion in three games.
Spirit rampaged through VP in the quarterfinals, then avenged their earlier loss to NAVI with a triumphant 2–0 semifinal series. Donk continued to deliver monstrous numbers, further fueling the belief that Spirit was the favorite to clinch the trophy. Nonetheless, the looming threat of Vitality’s unstoppable momentum was waiting in the grand final.
The championship series kicked off on Spirit’s map pick, Dust II. Vitality quickly raced to a 5–1 lead, setting the tone with crisp aim and coordinated utility usage. Spirit pulled the scoreline closer to 7–5 by halftime, but the second half saw ropz come alive with a barrage of multi-kills. His highlight performance included an astonishing 2.18 rating and 142 average damage per round. Spirit had no answers for Vitality’s consistent tempo, ultimately falling 13–6.
This opening map showcased ropz’s full capabilities in a major final setting. While Donk floundered with just 10 kills, ropz took the reins, overshadowing the entire Spirit lineup and establishing a dangerous precedent for the rest of the series.
The action shifted to Nuke, where ZywOo emerged as the game-changer. Vitality battered Spirit’s defenses on the T side, taking an 8–4 advantage into halftime. Once again, in the second half, Spirit only secured a single round. ZywOo racked up 26 frags, surviving with the fewest deaths on the map, while ropz continued to provide valuable secondary firepower.
By locking down Nuke with a 13–5 score, Vitality claimed a dominating 2–0 series lead. Spirit needed a resurgence from Donk, but the star rifler found himself repeatedly cornered by coordinated Vitality pushes. He managed a team-best 15 frags, yet it wasn’t sufficient to shift the tide.
Mirage became the ultimate proving ground, where Vitality eyed the clean sweep. We saw Vitality dominate the opening half on the CT side, jumping out to an 8–4 lead. While Boris “magixx” Vorobiev clinched a dramatic Ace in round 17—fueling a seven-round surge for Spirit—Vitality kept their composure. The French squad regrouped, methodically took the following two rounds, and sealed the championship with a 13–11 finish.
ZywOo tallied 22 frags on Mirage, supported by apEX’s unexpected firepower in the form of 19 kills. After a tournament-long run of brilliance, Donk fell silent, registering only 15 kills in the final map. It was a stark contrast to his usual heroics, reflecting Spirit’s inability to break Vitality’s unyielding spirit.
ZywOo’s phenomenal performance earned him the MVP Award of IEM Katowice 2025, his 21st overall in big events—tied with Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev for the all-time record. ZywOo ended the event with an eye-popping 1.42 rating, including 0.91 kills per round and 1.65 rating in the playoffs alone.
He seemed to have an answer for every defensive setup thrown at him. After failing to make a deep playoff run in Poland across six previous tries, the French phenom finally found redemption in 2025.
— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) February 9, 2025
Team Vitality’s first ESL Katowice trophy is a dream realized for the entire organization, but the greatest satisfaction might come from silencing the doubters who believed ropz wouldn’t be able to adapt quickly or that ZywOo’s golden days were behind him. This impressive performance in Katowice now stands as a testament to their leadership, resilience, and synergy. ApEX has once again demonstrated that his leadership style has matured, as he guided his players to a thorough and focused tournament run.
With IEM Katowice 2025 now in the rearview, all eyes are on PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, slated from 14 to 23 February. 16 teams will converge in Romania to battle for a $1.25 million prize pool.
