CS2: Vitality go back to back at the StarLadder Budapest Major

Already at the summit of Counter-Strike 2 this season, Team Vitality has just claimed the second Major of 2025, toppling FaZe Clan in the grand final of the StarLadder Budapest Major. The French club caps off one of the most exceptional seasons in esports history by lifting its third Major trophy overall, its second on CS2, completing a back-to-back run just six months after the BLAST Austin Major.

A heartbroken captain for FaZe, Finn “karrigan” Andersen has now lost his fourth Major grand final, while on the other side the greatest player in CS history, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, continues to build his legacy. The French superstar has secured his third Major MVP medal on his third Major title, a historic first for the game. With this extraordinary year and a ninth tournament victory, Team Vitality joins the ultra-elite circle of rosters that have utterly dominated Counter-Strike, in the same breath as Astralis back in 2018.

Placed at the top of the VRS, the points system introduced by VALVE, Team Vitality skipped the first two stages of the Major. Initially caught off guard by FaZe Clan in the opening round of Stage 3, facing a red-hot David “frozen” Čerňanský, Vitality quickly bounced back. After dismantling their French counterparts, 3DMAX, with a 13–4 scoreline, then sweeping B8 13–2, Dan “apEX” Madesclaire and his teammates arrived at the decisive match with huge momentum. Up against Natus Vincere, the best-of-three turned into a real battle, with the French club grinding out the win in the closing rounds, 13–11 on Inferno and 13–11 on Train.

Reaching the playoffs of the most important tournament of the year, the Hive ran into The Mongolz in the quarterfinals, with the Mongolian squad looking for revenge after the Austin Major final. Led by an unstoppable ZywOo, Vitality crushed their opponents 13–5 and 13–4, cruising into the semifinals to meet Team Spirit. Facing Danil “donk” Kryshkovets and his teammates, the magic continued for the French side, pulling off a wild comeback on Mirage before rolling to a 13–8 win on Dust II and locking in a spot in the grand final.

After opening their tournament against FaZe, it was fitting that the StarLadder Budapest Major would end against the same North American organization. Struggling on Nuke, Vitality dropped the first map 13–6, with an inspired karrigan leading FaZe to a dominant start. On Dust II, however, FaZe completely collapsed, scoring only three rounds and allowing the French organization to level the series at 1–1. The Bees, fully unleashed after that map, kept control by winning Inferno 13–9 and earning a decisive final map to close out the Major. For the first time in its history, Counter-Strike’s most iconic tournament featured a best-of-five grand final, but this first iteration was far from a thriller. FaZe vanished on Overpass, narrowly avoiding a 13–0 but unable to escape a 3–1 defeat in the series.