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After months of frustration and near-misses, Team Vitality have finally returned to the top. The French organisation stormed through the ESL Pro League Season 22 Grand Final, sweeping Team Falcons 3-0 to claim their first Counter-Strike 2 trophy in four months.

The win not only ends their title drought but also cements back-to-back ESL Pro League triumphs, having lifted the Season 21 trophy earlier this year.

flameZ Shines Bright

Israeli rifler Shahar “flameZ” Shushan delivered a star-making performance in the final, securing Player of the Map honours on both Inferno and Train. His explosive playstyle turned the series into a one-sided affair, highlighted by a crucial quad-kill on Inferno’s B site and several clutch multi-kills that swung the early rounds in Vitality’s favour.

flameZ continued his dominance on Train with 16 kills in the first half, setting up Vitality’s comfortable second-map win. On Dust II, British teammate William “mezii” Merriman joined the spotlight with sharp entries, while flameZ closed out the series with yet another clutch and four opening kills to secure the clean sweep.

Road to the Championship

Vitality’s run through the playoffs wasn’t without challenges. The team survived tight series against FURIA and FaZe Clan before finding their best form in the final. Captain Dan “apEX” Madesclaire credited the team’s resilience and hard work for the victory.

“We’ve been working hard and we really wanted to get back to trophies,” apEX said after the win.

The veteran IGL has set his sights on matching Astralis’ record of 10 titles in a single year, and Vitality are now just two trophies away from that goal with IEM Chengdu, BLAST Rivals Season 2, and the StarLadder Budapest Major still to come.

m0NESY Earns MVP Honours

Despite the loss, Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov of Team Falcons walked away with the ESL Pro League Season 22 MVP award. The 20-year-old AWPer posted a phenomenal 1.38 rating and 1.12 kills per round, his best event since joining Falcons and his first MVP medal of 2025.

It’s the fifth MVP of his career and another sign of his growing status as one of Counter-Strike 2’s most consistent stars.

Looking Ahead

The ESL Pro League title marks Vitality’s eighth trophy of 2025, continuing their push for one of the most successful seasons in Counter-Strike history. With flameZ in blistering form, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut steady as ever, and the team firing on all cylinders, Vitality look ready to dominate the closing stretch of the year.