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Brazil’s FURIA have finally broken through on the world stage, storming past Team Vitality with a clean 3-0 sweep to win the Intel Extreme Masters Chengdu 2025 Grand Final. The victory marks the team’s first top-tier LAN trophy since the arrival of Danil “molodoy” Golubenko and Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis,  a dominant statement that cements their place among Counter-Strike’s elite.

A Long-Awaited Breakthrough

After months of solid form at smaller tournaments like FISSURE Playground 2 and the Thunderpick World Championships, FURIA were yet to prove themselves against the world’s best. That changed in Chengdu.

Led by veteran in-game leader Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, the Brazilians powered through the playoffs in flawless fashion, defeating The MongolZ and Falcons 2-0 before taking down Vitality in the grand final without dropping a single map.

For Vitality, it was a disappointing night. Analyst Janko “YNk” Paunović called their veto strategy “overcooked” before the match, and it showed. Allowing their usual permaban of Ancient to go through gave FURIA the perfect opener, and they never looked back.

Ancient: molodoy’s 1v2 Sparks the Comeback

FURIA came out swinging on Ancient, taking an early 3-0 lead before Vitality’s aggressive defence began to bite back. But the momentum shifted when molodoy produced a stunning 3K on a low buy and sealed the half with a clutch 1v2.

In the second half, William “mezii” Merriman’s ace gave Vitality hope, while Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut found impact with his AWP entries. But FURIA’s composure prevailed, YEKINDAR and Yuri “yuurih” Santos locked down B site pushes, and FalleN closed the map 13-11 with trademark calm and precision.

Inferno: FalleN Outsmarts apEX

Inferno started in Vitality’s favour, with ZywOo dominating and the Europeans racing to a 5-0 lead. Then chaos erupted. FURIA clawed back rounds off the back of yuurih’s sharp rifling and some scrappy buys, closing the gap to a narrow halftime scoreline.

FalleN’s mid-round calls shone through in the second half. FURIA built a run of rounds, forcing Vitality onto the back foot. Despite two big holds from Shahar “flameZ” Shushan, FURIA’s relentless pressure and a decisive Tec-9 push on A broke Vitality’s defence. Another 13-10 win, and FURIA moved within touching distance of the trophy.

Overpass: FURIA Seal the Sweep

With their backs against the wall, Vitality started strong on Overpass thanks to ZywOo, ropz, and apEX building a 6-1 lead. But once again, FURIA flipped the script.

molodoy’s heroics returned with a crucial 4K, and YEKINDAR opened the second half with a commanding 3K pistol round. From there, the Brazilians took control, piling on pressure and outgunning Vitality at every turn. apEX’s spectacular 1v3 clutch was too little, too late, as FURIA surged to a 13-11 finish to secure the sweep.

Brazil Back on Top

This victory represents more than just a trophy for FURIA. It’s proof that their gamble on new talent paid off, and that Brazilian Counter-Strike is once again capable of reaching the summit.

From FalleN’s leadership to molodoy’s breakthrough performance, FURIA’s IEM Chengdu win will be remembered as the moment the team truly came of age.