Team Vitality have outlasted Team Falcons 3-2 in the grand final of IEM Melbourne 2025, securing the ESL Grand Slam and extending their historic win streak.
CS2: Team Vitality claim IEM Melbourne 2025 title
Team Vitality have etched their name into Counter-Strike history, outlasting a brave Team Falcons lineup in an all-time classic IEM Melbourne 2025 grand final.
Vitality won the final 3-2 after a triple-overtime win on the final map to lift the trophy in Australia — and with it, complete the ESL Pro Tour Season 5 Grand Slam.
The Golden Hornets dominated early at Rod Laver Arena, thrashing Falcons 13-2 on Inferno behind a monstrous performance from Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, who dismantled the opposition with clinical precision.
Dust2, however, turned into a battle, as Falcons rallied from an early deficit to edge out Vitality 16-12 in overtime, handing the French powerhouse their first map loss of the event.
Vitality responded on Train, clawing back from a slow start to grind out a 13-9 victory, thanks to a pivotal eco round turnaround and key late-game heroics.
Falcons, powered by Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov’s brilliance, struck back again on Mirage with a gritty 13-10 win, forcing the series to a decisive fifth map on Nuke.
On Nuke, Falcons seemed destined to pull off the upset.
They locked down the counter-terrorist side with a suffocating defence, racing to a 12-6 lead, and stood just one round away from the title — six championship points in hand.
But Vitality, refusing to yield, produced one of the gutsiest comebacks in Counter-Strike history.
Round after round, clutch after clutch, smoke defuses, and late heroics brought the series to overtime.
Falcons pushed Vitality to the brink, but the experience and composure of Dan “apEX” Madesclaire’s men proved decisive.
In the end, Vitality closed it out 22-20, ending a breathtaking triple-overtime marathon and claiming the IEM Melbourne crown.
ZywOo, once again the architect of Vitality’s success, finished with a tournament-best 1.34 rating, earned the HLTV MVP medal, and delivered when it mattered most on the final map.
With this victory, Vitality completed the ESL Grand Slam Season 5, becoming just the fifth team in history to achieve the feat.
Their Grand Slam campaign included wins at IEM Cologne 2024, IEM Katowice 2025, ESL Pro League Season 21, and now IEM Melbourne 2025.
It is a landmark moment for ZywOo, apEX, Shahar “flameZ” Shushan, and William “mezii” Merriman, each celebrating their first-ever Grand Slam title.
For Robin “ropz” Kool, it was a slice of history — the Estonian became only the second player, after Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken, to win two Grand Slams, having first lifted the trophy with FaZe Clan in 2023.
Vitality’s run of form is nothing short of historic.
Their win in Melbourne extends their series win streak to 21, the third-longest of all time, cementing them as the undisputed kings of CS2.
Despite falling short, Falcons showed they belong among the elite.
Fresh off their PGL Bucharest triumph and with new AWPer m0NESY in the lineup, they pushed Vitality further than anyone thought possible, coming within a single round of glory.
The mix of established stars like Nikola “NiKo” Kovač and rising talents like Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski and René “TeSeS” Madsen proved formidable.
TeSeS, in particular, produced an incredible 40-bomb in the decider, nearly dragging Falcons to an upset win.
Their ability to immediately integrate m0NESY, combined with their powerful run to the Melbourne final, signals that this roster is a serious threat for future titles.
The IEM Melbourne grand final shattered viewership records, peaking at 1,245,466 concurrent viewers — making it the most-watched esports event ever held in Australia and the second most-watched CS2 non-Major event behind only IEM Katowice 2025.
Globally, the Melbourne final now ranks as the third most-watched non-Major Counter-Strike tournament in history, a testament to the electrifying action, the stakes of the ESL Grand Slam, and the sheer star power on display.
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