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It’s been a wild weekend at ESL Pro League Season 22 in Stockholm, as two underdog teams pulled off some of the biggest upsets of the year. HOTU and Gentle Mates shocked the Counter-Strike world by toppling elite squads The MongolZ and Team Vitality, sending fans and analysts into a frenzy.

HOTU’s Dream Run Continues

HOTU’s Cinderella story just refuses to end. The majority-Russian squad extended their incredible ESL Pro League run with a 2–1 victory over The MongolZ, one of the top-ranked teams in the world.

The series kicked off on Overpass, where Dmitry “mizu” Kondratev led the charge with a dominant 1.62 rating as HOTU took a clean 13–8 win. Despite The MongolZ clawing back on Mirage thanks to Ayush “mzinho” Batbold’s flashy 1vs3 clutch, HOTU kept their composure.

Back on Ancient, Rustem “mou” Telepov’s side built an early lead and stayed cool under pressure, closing it out 13–9 to seal the series. David “n0rb3r7” Danielyan was the standout performer with a 1.29 series rating and 57 kills, proving why his Major-winning experience continues to matter.

HOTU are now sitting at an impressive 8–2 map record in Stockholm, having already taken down FURIA, B8, and ENCE in earlier rounds. After this win, they’ve officially secured their spot in the 1–0 pool.

Their in-game leader Suleımen “dukefissura” Orazaly revealed their strategy going into the matchup:

“We wanted The MongolZ because they don’t play well on Overpass and pick Mirage, one of our best maps.”

And it paid off.

The community reactions were as chaotic as expected. HLTV threads filled up with disbelief and memes, with one fan writing, “Expected from major winner n0rb3r7.” Another joked, “ESN CEO instantly relocate HOTU back to Asia and commit seppuku in Sükhbaatar Square.” Even MongolZ supporters had to admit the upset was deserved, as the team’s recent form looked shaky.

Gentle Mates Shock Vitality in French Derby

If HOTU’s win was impressive, Gentle Mates’ victory over Team Vitality was downright unbelievable. The Spanish roster, who weren’t even supposed to be in Stockholm and joined as a late invite, took down one of Europe’s most dominant teams 2–0 in their opening Stage 2 match.

The first map, Nuke, saw Pere “sausol” Solsona Saumell put up a monstrous 1.57 rating and close the game with a clutch 1vs3. Gentle Mates never looked nervous, taking Nuke 13–6.

Vitality tried to recover on Train, with William “mezii” Merriman pushing hard from Ivy, but M8s held firm. Despite several chaotic forcebuy rounds, Alejandro “alex” Masanet’s squad finished strong at 13–11, claiming the series 2–0.

This shock result is even more poetic when you consider that Gentle Mates only entered Counter-Strike 2 earlier this year, signing the rising Spanish roster Iberian Soul as their debut lineup. You can read more about their journey in Gentle Mates Enter Counter-Strike 2 With Iberian Soul Roster.

For context, Vitality came into the match after nearly a month of inactivity following their BLAST Open London grand final loss to G2. That rust showed badly, and fans weren’t kind about it online. One commenter roasted, “apEX keeps throwing rounds with knife in hand.”

Despite the chaos, sausol and MartinezSa were the heroes of the night. The duo combined for 76 kills across two maps, completely dismantling a star-studded Vitality lineup featuring ZywOo and ropz.

As one fan put it, “No shame in losing to a better French org.”

The Underdog Era

These back-to-back upsets are a reminder that in modern Counter-Strike 2, no team is safe. The meta keeps evolving, younger squads are hungrier than ever, and even giants like The MongolZ and Vitality can crumble when the pressure mounts.

HOTU’s confidence and Gentle Mates’ passion have turned ESL Pro League Season 22 into one of the most unpredictable events in years, and fans are absolutely loving it.

As one comment summed it up:

“It’s 2025, anything can happen. Even HOTU and Gentle Mates winning it all.”