Vitality have secured their place in the ESL Pro League Season 21 grand final after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over The MongolZ. With this win, they advance to a best-of-five championship match against MOUZ in Stockholm, setting the stage for an intense battle between two teams chasing their second major title of the year. After skipping PGL Cluj-Napoca, Vitality returned to competition with a dominant run, building on their IEM Katowice triumph. Now, they stand on the verge of back-to-back event victories, but they will have to overcome a MOUZ squad revitalized under the leadership of Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin, fresh off their success in Cluj-Napoca.
For The MongolZ, this loss marks yet another setback in their efforts to break into the elite tier of Counter-Strike. They have now fallen to Vitality in five consecutive series, with the European powerhouse proving to be a persistent obstacle in their path. Despite the defeat, there was a small breakthrough for the Mongolian squad as they managed to claim their first-ever map win against Vitality, edging out a close 16-14 victory on Nuke. However, the overall series was still largely one-sided, as Vitality dominated Anubis 13-4 and dismantled them on Inferno with an even more crushing 13-2 scoreline. While the victory on Nuke shows progress, the lopsided losses suggest there is still significant work to be done before The MongolZ can truly compete for titles on the global stage.
Vitality’s victory also marks the second time this year that they have denied The MongolZ a grand final appearance. The Mongolian side previously fell short against them in the IEM Katowice semi-finals, reinforcing the growing narrative that Vitality is the team they must overcome if they want to claim their first Big Event championship.
The upcoming grand final will also see former teammates turn rivals once again, as Lotan “Spinx” Giladi, now playing for MOUZ, prepares to take on his old squad. Both teams have already secured major titles in 2025—MOUZ at PGL Cluj-Napoca and Vitality at IEM Katowice—making this matchup a battle for early dominance in the season. MOUZ will not only be competing for their second trophy but also seeking revenge, as Vitality convincingly defeated them 2-0 in the earlier stages of this tournament.
Vitality are also inching closer to a historic achievement in the race for the fifth Intel Grand Slam. With titles already secured at IEM Cologne 2024 and IEM Katowice 2025, another championship win in Stockholm would put them within reach of the prestigious $1,000,000 prize. Currently, they are tied in the Grand Slam race with Natus Vincere, who have also won two major tournaments—EPL Season 20 and IEM Rio 2024.
A triumph in the grand final would bring Vitality to the brink of this career-defining milestone, a feat that neither Dan “apEX” Madesclaire nor Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut has accomplished. On the other hand, Robin “ropz” Kool, one of Vitality’s key additions, would join an exclusive club of players with two Grand Slam titles, standing alongside his former teammate Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken.
With everything at stake, the ESL Pro League grand final promises to be a thrilling conclusion to the tournament, as both teams aim to cement their dominance in 2025 and, for Vitality, take one step closer to Counter-Strike history.
