Team Vitality Wins IEM Katowice 2025 in Stunning Upset Over Team Spirit
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Key points
- Team Vitality secured their first IEM Katowice title with a dominant 3-0 victory over Team Spirit in the grand final.
- The win was a major upset, as Team Spirit were considered heavy favorites after a strong tournament performance.
- The tournament featured 24 teams competing for a $1,250,000 prize pool.
Team Vitality clinched the IEM Katowice 2025 championship title with a dominant 3-0 victory over Team Spirit in the grand final at the Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland. This marks Vitality’s first IEM Katowice championship, following their previous major win at IEM Cologne 2024.
The win comes as a major upset, as Team Spirit entered the match as the heavy favorites, having displayed exceptional form throughout the tournament. Notably, in their previous encounter before the grand final, Team Spirit had defeated Team Vitality 2-0 on October 30, 2024, during the BLAST Premier World Final 2024.
The best-of-five series commenced on Dust2, where Vitality secured a 13-6 win. Robin “ropz” Kool delivered an outstanding performance, achieving 26 kills against 9 deaths. The momentum continued on Nuke, with Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut leading the team to a 13-5 victory, contributing 26 kills and only 6 deaths. The final map, Mirage, concluded with a 13-11 scoreline in favor of Vitality, sealing their championship win.
This triumph is particularly significant for team captain Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, who, after a 15-year career, has secured his first IEM Katowice title. Reflecting on the achievement, apEX stated, “You have to wait 11 years to win a playoff game here, that’s crazy.”
The IEM Katowice 2025 tournament featured 24 teams competing for a prize pool of $1,250,000.
