Team Vitality reigns supreme again, securing their fourth title of the 2026 season, after a dominant 3-0 victory over Team Spirit in the IEM Rio Grand Final. This win marks a historic turning point: as the team becomes the first-ever Counter-Strike roster to win two consecutive ESL Grand Slams.
Team Vitality Wins IEM Rio Grand Final
After a series of victories in ESL competitions at IEM Dallas 2025, ESL Pro League 2025, and IEM Kraków 2026, this latest success in Rio completes the team’s quest for excellence that began several months ago. This victory represents the final step towards securing the Grand Slam title, which comes with an additional prize pool of $1,000,000.
With this new trophy, Team Vitality continues to write its Counter-Strike legacy at lightning pace.
A (NEARLY) PERFECT TOURNAMENT!
IEM Rio gathered the 16 top-ranked teams in the world in front of the incredibly passionate and energetic Brazilian esports fans. With all the glory on the line, Team Vitality were once again the clear favourites heading into the competition, this time with a major prize in sight: the ESL Grand Slam.
From their opening match against RED Canids, the elite roster of Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, Robin “ropz” Kool, William “mezii” Merriman, and Shahar “flameZ” Shushan went into the competition with a perfect start, extending their exceptional streak of 24 consecutive matches without dropping a single map.
G2 brought this momentum to an end, going 1-0 up against the Grand Slam champions, but ultimately falling 2-1 to the Bees. In the quarterfinals, Team Vitality secured a commanding 2-0 win against NAVI, before confirming their dominance in the semifinals against FURIA with the same scoreline (2-0).
In the Grand Final, Team Vitality faced Team Spirit in a hard-fought battle from start to finish, ending in a decisive 3-0 victory, securing their second ESL Grand Slam trophy.
True to his usual self, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut once again stood out in Rio, winning the MVP title, thanks to his consistency and impact in decisive moments.
TEAM VITALITY DOMINATES AND ACHIEVES HISTORY
With their victory at IEM Rio, Team Vitality has etched its name into the history books as the first organisation to secure two ESL Grand Slam trophies, doing so in back-to-back fashion. This unprecedented feat underscores Vitality’s dominance over the past two years and cements this roster’s reputation as the definitive powerhouse of the CS2 era.
On an individual level, ropz has also reached a legendary milestone, becoming the first player to claim three ESL Grand Slam titles consecutively, following his previous triumph with FaZe Clan in Season 4. Whilst previously crowned the best team in the 2025 HLTV rankings, Team Vitality’s quest is now to become the best of all time.
“In 2026, we continue to operate at the same high standards we established in 2025, racking up victories. In this tournament, I sensed a team enjoying itself and playing with the ambition not only to win, but also to make history, by becoming the only organisation to win two ESL Grand Slams. It’s worth mentioning that only five teams in history have managed to win even one, which further highlights the significance of this achievement”, explains Fabien “Neo” Devide, co-founder of Team Vitality. “This is a pivotal moment for these exceptional players and the legacy of the club. They are making Team Vitality not only the best CS2 club in the world, but perhaps one of the greatest of all time. We are living in an extraordinary era. We must stay humble and continue to enjoy it.”
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