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IEM Katowice content powered by Predator Gaming | Photo copyright: Helena Kristiansson, ESL Faceit Group
The Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice 2025 Grand Finals have come to a conclusion, with Team Vitality claiming the ESL Pro Tour Championship.
They defeated 2024 IEM Katowice winners Team Spirit 3-0 at the Spodek Arena in Poland, granting UK player Mezii and his teammates another IEM win following their IEM Cologne 2024 victory last year.
flameZ, ropz, mezii, apEX and ZywOo of Team Vitality delivered a dominant performance in the grand final, winning the lion’s share of the $1.25m total winnings.
The sold-out Spodek Arena and MCK set the stage for another big IEM weekend, as over 56,000 fans gathered across three days to witness the Counter-Strike action. The event also reached a peak viewership of over 1.3m for Counter-Strike 2, making it the most watched Counter-Strike 2 non-Major tournament.
The return of the IEM Expo also brought together esports and gaming fans from Poland and beyond, offering them a chance to experience the latest Intel-powered gaming hardware, participate in interactive partner activations, explore new game releases, admire cosplay and more.
For example, Acer launched new Predator Helios Neo AI gaming laptops at the Predator Showcase in Katowice.
Stage 1 & Stage 2 at IEM Katowice
The road to glory at IEM Katowice 2025 began on January 29th with the first stage, where 16 teams battled for the final eight spots for Stage 2.
Stage 2, held from February 1st to 4th, saw teams split into two groups of eight, with the top two teams from the upper bracket and the top team from the lower bracket securing their spots in the Playoffs. In Group A, Team Vitality dominated the upper bracket, followed by Virtus Pro in second place, while Eternal Fire fought their way through the lower bracket to claim their spot.
In Group B, Team Spirit showcased their resilience, overcoming GamerLegion in a hard-fought lower bracket final to secure their spot in the Playoffs. Meanwhile, in the upper bracket, The Mongolz made history by advancing to the next stage, becoming the first Asian team to ever reach the Playoffs.
Rounding out the final line-up, Natus Vincere (Navi) secured their place in the finals. Up until this stage of the tournament, 1,000,000 viewers tuned in from all around the world to watch the matches including Team Spirit vs Navi and Astralis vs Furia Esports breaking the record for IEM Katowice 2025.
The IEM Katowice 2025 Playoffs
The finals stage of IEM Katowice 2025 kicked off on Friday, February 7th, with an electrifying quarter-final showdown between Eternal Fire and The Mongolz. In a hard-fought battle, The Mognolz’s precision secured a 2-0 victory and a spot in the semi-finals.
The second quarterfinal had Virtus Pro go head-to-head with Team Spirit. With the crowd roaring, Team Spirit were victorious with a 2-0 win.
On Saturday, February 8th, the semi-finals took centre stage as the top two teams from the Group Stage faced off against the quarter-final winners.
Team Vitality delivered a commanding performance against The Mongolz, winning their place in the Grand Final with a dominant 2-0 scoreline. Meanwhile, Team Spirit faced Navi for the second time in this tournament.
Since Navi won against Team Spirit in Stage 2, this was Team Spirit’s chance for redemption and a final chance to get one step closer to the trophy. An intense match with an intense crowd brought in another 1,000,000 to watch as Team Spirit and Navi went head to head going into overtime, just for Team Spirit to win 2-0 and book the final championship spot.
The IEM Katowice 2025 Grand Final
Moving forward from the playoffs, Team Spirit and Team Vitality showcased their talent as champions of IEM Katowice 2024 and champions of IEM Cologne 2024 respectively.
As Team Vitality’s first time making it to this stage of IEM Katowice, they brought their all to the stage. The first map played was Dust II. Even though Team Spirit made this pick, Team Vitality started off strong and stayed in the lead ending the map at 13-6.
The next map played was Nuke, Team Vitality chose this map and didn’t hesitate to show why. Although Team Spirit tried to fight back, it still ended with another merciless performance from Team Vitality at 13-5.
The third and final map picked by Team Spirit, Mirage, left the audience on the edge of their seats. Team Vitality made a habit of taking the lead in all maps while Team Spirit stayed stagnant at 4 for multiple rounds. The Grand Final was about to end with Team Vitality at 11 and Team Spirit at 4, however, they surprised the arena with 7 consecutive rounds, showcasing their resilience.
In the end, Team Vitality claimed their place in the hall of heroes and won the Grand Final achieving a final score of 13-11 for the map and an overall impressive 3-0.
“It took time, but we finally made it. I wanted this so badly—it’s unbelievable. We were confident in the maps, we gave all we had, and I couldn’t be prouder of the team. The countless hours of practice, the dedication—it all led to this moment. I love Counter-Strike, and I can’t imagine stopping. I promise—I won’t stop.”
apEX, Vitality
Widely regarded as one of the most outstanding performances in professional Counter-Strike, recognizing ZywOo’s exceptional skill and impact throughout the tournament, he was honoured with the ESL Pro Tour DHL MVP award.
Mezii and Aphi on IEM Katowice 2025 win
Team Vitality had two UK talents – player mezii and Vitality’s new team manager Aphiren (aka Aphi).
They spoke to Sjokz after the win.
“We just won Katowice, what is this! Look at them! (points at team)
“I’m so proud, they worked so hard, you have no idea how hard they worked. And it paid off in an incredible fashion, I’ve never felt these emotions in my entire life. They’re a whole different team, I’ve never seen a whole entire unit form like this in such a short amount of time, it’s insane, it’s incredible.”
Mezii added: “We got the right balance. [ropz] has come in and changed everything for us, it feels great to play in this team.
“Getting a new player feels brand new, but as soon as he came in, overall the team chemistry and atmosphere feels great. Everyone enjoys playing CS and that’s the main thing.”
Esports fans gather in London for the IEM Katowice 2025 watch party with Predator Gaming
UK fans witnessed Vitality’s big win over Spirit at Platform gaming bar in Shoreditch.
Check back on Esports News UKs YouTube, Twitter and TikTok soon for a video recap and image gallery on Instagram.
Team Vitality win Valorant EMEA Kickoff 2025
It was a double win for Vitality this evening, as they were also crowned champions at the Valorant EMEA Kickoff 2025 at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin.
The Bees experienced an amazing playoff run, which saw the team overcome an exciting French derby in the quarter-finals against Karmine Corp, and Turkish powerhouse FUT Esports in the Upper Semi-Finals, ending with an amazing comeback performance in the Grand Final against Team Liquid.
Team Vitality’s roster of Kimmie “Kicks” Laasner, Saif “Sayf” Jibraeel, Nikita “trexx” Cherednichenko, Felipe “Less” Basso, and Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev put on an emphatic display beating some of Europe’s top teams,.
Team Vitality’s first win came in the derby against fellow French esports organisation, Karmine Corp, in the Upper Quarterfinals, with Team Vitality producing a dominating performance to win 2-1. The Bees then followed up their impressive Quarterfinal win with an incredible performance against one of Europe’s leading teams, FUT Esport, winning 2-0. In the Upper Bracket Final, the Bees brushed aside Team Heretics, with a commanding 2-0 win, including a 13-1 win on Abyss which set up a Grand Final against Team Liquid.
Team Liquid dealt the first blow of the Grand Final, taking Split with a narrow 13-10 victory. The opposition continued their form into the second game, with a 13-7 win on Haven. On Lotus, however, Team Vitality rallied to bite back with a 13-6 win. The Bees continued this form into Bind, where they took a 13-7 win, setting up a grandstand final game on Fracture, where Team Vitality completed a magnificent comeback with a 13-8 win.
The first VCT trophy for Team Vitality
This victory marks Team Vitality’s first success of the VCT season—and the club’s first-ever European title in Valorant. With this win, the team cements its place as one of the top two squads in the EMEA league, securing direct qualification for Masters Bangkok, where the world’s best teams will compete.
“By defeating Team Liquid at the Riot Games Arena, Team Vitality sends a clear message: the Bees won’t back down this season,” they said in a press release. “With a roster of international talent from across the globe, the team has a unique opportunity to make history in the FPS scene. Their goal? To leave a lasting mark on esports. Now, the focus shifts to maintaining this outstanding level of performance and securing a spot at the Valorant Champions in Paris, the club’s hometown, this September.”
“This roster is both talented and unpredictable. They leave nothing to chance and have an unshakable determination to win. Our players know they have the chance to write a new chapter in the history of esports and Team Vitality. Winning our first VCT trophy and starting the season like this is an incredible source of pride,” said Fabien “Neo” Devide, President of Team Vitality. “Now, we are ready to showcase our full strength in Bangkok, keeping our ultimate goal in sight: the Champions in Paris.’
Team Liquid also have UK player Keiko on their team, who has also reached Masters Bangkok with his side.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
