Team Vitality extends apEX and ZywOo through 2028

On the occasion of the start of the Esports World Cup playoffs in Counter-Strike 2, Team Vitality announced this Wednesday, August 19, the re-signing of its two French star players, Dan "apEX" Madesclaire and Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut. In front of a crowd of fans gathered at the Team Vitality booth at the event, the two players signed their contracts to remain with the club through 2028.

The French organization, coming off an exceptional 2025 and a 2026 season that has been marked by ups and downs, has logically renewed its confidence in its captain and, above all, its star player.

Named the best player of the year in 2019, 2020, 2023 and 2025 by HLTV, ZywOo is very probably the biggest name in the competitive CS2 scene, particularly following the decline of Ukrainian player Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev. The game's "GOAT" was born on the same day as the launch of the first version of the game. In addition to these four individual titles, he was also ranked as the second-best player of the year in 2021 and 2022. He also has 32 tournament MVP awards, by far the most in history, and in addition to winning three Majors in his career, he has been named MVP of all three, another record.

It therefore comes as no surprise that the best player in the history of the game will continue his journey with the Hive, which he joined back in October 2018. It was also with the French club that he met apEX, who has since become his captain and In-Game Leader, with their story now spanning almost eight years. The two remaining players from Vitality's 100% French beginnings should therefore continue together for a few more years.

Back in March, the French player with four Majors to his name, three with Vitality and one with EnvyUs in 2015, had already hinted at his plans in an interview with Pley.gg, saying that he was indeed thinking about the end of his career, but not anytime soon. In the interview, apEX revealed that he was already renegotiating his contract with Team Vitality and said he was "on the right track to do a few more years. But how many, I don't know. The future will tell us."

The French IGL, who has won a major international title every year since 2013, is one of the most decorated players still active on the circuit, and it therefore seems that he is on track to continue this story for a few more years, with a team built for success. Alongside ZywOo, the French organization also has Robin "ropz" Kool, one of the most important players in the global CS scene, who joined in 2025, as well as William "mezii" Merriman and Shahar "flameZ" Shushan, both of whom joined in 2023 and have also been instrumental in the Bees' victories and dominance over the past several months.

Surprised by the Ukrainian players from B8 in the group stage, Vitality nevertheless secured a spot in the Esports World Cup playoffs through the lower bracket, defeating Chinese club Lynn Vision Gaming. They will face FaZe Clan in the Round of 16 this Thursday, August 20, with the likely goal of going all the way in the tournament in front of the French crowd, a rare opportunity.

The last time France hosted an important Counter-Strike tournament was in 2023, when Vitality won the Major at the Accor Arena. It is this very venue that will host the tournament's grand final this Sunday, August 23, bringing the Esports World Cup to a close. It will therefore be the only tournament to leave Porte de Versailles, the exhibition center that has hosted the event since early July.