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Team Vitality Wins Intel Extreme Masters Melbourne 2025
The global pro gaming tour Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) made its debut in Melbourne, Australia over the weekend. 26,000 fans flocked to the sold-out Rod Laver Arena over April 25-27 to cheer on the world's top Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) teams. After a week of unforgettable esports action, Team Vitality emerged victorious and walked away with their share of the $1,000,000 USD total winnings.
Following Team Vitality's historic win and ESL Grand Slam completion at IEM Melbourne 2025, the French esports organization was congratulated on social media by Emmanuel Macron, the President of the French Republic.
"With its Grand Slam, Vitality has elevated France to the top of esports and made our colors shine. Congratulations to the entire team!" tweeted Macron.
The IEM Melbourne Group Stage kicked off on Monday, April 21, with 16 of the world's best Counter-Strike 2 teams competing for a spot at the Playoffs in Rod Laver Arena. Following three days of intense competition, Team Vitality and MOUZ topped their groups to secure a spot in Playoffs, and were joined by GamerLegion, Team Falcons, The MongolZ, and Team Liquid.
Wins against GamerLegion and MOUZ in the Playoffs saw Team Falcons secure a slot in the Grand Final, where they faced off against Team Vitality who blazed their path to the match with a historic undefeated run. After an incredible five map series, Team Vitality raised the trophy in Rod Laver Arena with a 3-2 win in triple overtime.
On top of their 1st-place total winnings of $285,000 USD, Team Vitality also took home $1,000,000 USD after claiming the ESL Grand Slam. Team Vitality are now the fifth team to win this accolade in history, and team member ropz will be the second player ever to have won this prestigious accolade twice.
IEM Melbourne 2025 results:
Over 1,253,000 people tuned in at once to watch IEM Melbourne across livestreaming platforms, earning the title of the most viewed esports event ever hosted in Australia, and the 2nd highest peak of a non-Major
Counter-Strike tournament, of all time.
At the close of the event, ZywOo was announced the DHL MVP of IEM Melbourne 2025 for their role in the finals series, and the tournament as a whole.
The legendary Caches showmatch also made a return for the 5th time, pitting Team Australia against Team UK in a Counter-Strike spin-off of the famous cricket series. This year, Henry "HenryG" Greer returned to captain Team UK, unsuccessfully facing off against Team Australia captained by Chad "SPUNJ" Burchill, who led his home team to a fifth consecutive win. The IEM Expo made a return, featuring exhibitors including Intel and DHL showcasing the latest and greatest in games, technology, and more. Within the Expo, attendees also took part in signing and meet-and-greet sessions with attending teams, including hometown heroes FlyQuest.
"As the world's longest running pro gaming tour, Intel Extreme Masters has been taking place around the world for almost 20 years. This year, we made the decision to bring the tournament into a new city, and one of the world's most iconic sporting arenas - a decision that was rewarded with a record sell-out crowd," said Marc Winther, Director Game Ecosystems - Counter-Strike at ESL FACEIT Group. "Australian fans have proven their appetite for the highest tier of competitive Counter-Strike is only growing, and helped make our first trip to Melbourne a truly memorable one."
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