ZywOo and apEX Vitality Contracts Extended to 2028

Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut and Dan “apEX” Madesclaire will remain with Team Vitality through the end of 2028 after the organisation announced new contracts for both French Counter-Strike stars on 19 August 2026. The extensions keep Vitality’s superstar AWPer and long-serving captain together after almost eight years with the organisation.

When legacy becomes legendary

ZywOo 🤝 apEX 2028 📝 pic.twitter.com/TEcvfwIRCn

— Team Vitality CS (@TeamVitalityCS) August 19, 2026

Neither player seriously considered leaving. Speaking to HLTV after the announcement, ZywOo described re-signing as the obvious outcome, while apEX pointed to his trust in the club, the strength of the current team and his belief that he can still perform as both an individual and an in-game leader.

Why ZywOo and apEX Re-Signed With Vitality

For ZywOo, the decision required little deliberation. “I didn’t even think about it, in my brain I was just, ‘We’re going to re-sign with Vitality,'” he told HLTV, calling the extensions “the most obvious re-signs ever.”

apEX reached essentially the same conclusion without even discussing the contract with his teammate beforehand. The 33-year-old said the pair knew they would stay because of how comfortable they are playing together and within the current lineup.

“I didn’t see myself stopping at the end of the year,” apEX told HLTV. He said his current level as an IGL and individual player, combined with his relationship with Vitality, made extending the natural next step for his career.

That certainty comes despite a less dominant stretch for Vitality. The organisation is not simply locking down two players during an uninterrupted winning run. Recent results have created questions around whether the team can maintain the standard it established over the previous 18 months, while Justinas “jL” Lekavicius is also set to join the lineup temporarily.

Nearly Eight Years Together at Vitality

ZywOo and apEX began their Vitality careers during the organisation’s French era before the roster gradually developed into its current international lineup. Their partnership has survived multiple versions of the team and almost eight years of Counter-Strike together.

ZywOo said their relationship inside the server has remained remarkably similar throughout that period. The pair still argue, laugh and deal with what he described as apEX doing “crazy things”, but the enjoyment of playing together has remained intact.

Since Robin “ropz” Kool joined Vitality in January 2025, the current era has produced 14 trophies. That haul includes Major championships in Austin and Budapest along with two Intel Grand Slam victories, giving the organisation a run that both players now want to extend rather than rebuild elsewhere.

ZywOo Could Spend His Entire Tier-One Career With One Club

The new deal also keeps open an unusual legacy path for ZywOo. At 25, he has already spent his entire tier-one career representing Vitality and could eventually finish as a one-club player if that relationship continues beyond 2028.

“That’s not something I was thinking about when I joined CS, being a one-club man,” ZywOo told HLTV. He said the idea has become more meaningful as his career has developed, particularly when considering what it would mean to reach retirement having represented only one organisation.

For now, however, he is not treating that possibility as a career objective. ZywOo said Vitality still have too many tournaments ahead for him to spend much time thinking about how his eventual legacy will be viewed.

apEX’s legacy question is different. He has previously spoken about wanting to be considered among Counter-Strike’s best leaders, and now believes his results have earned him a place in that discussion. Rather than trying to dictate where he ranks against other great IGLs, he said his focus is continuing to win and allowing others to judge his career.

Vitality’s Recent Struggles Have Not Changed the Plan

The extensions arrive while Vitality are dealing with one of their more difficult competitive periods after a long run at the top. Their Fall season opened with a surprise first-round defeat to Liquid in the online stage of BLAST Bounty, following a weaker end to the previous season by the team’s own standards.

ZywOo acknowledged that Vitality are having more difficulty inside matches after roughly a year and a half of exceptional team play. “We are struggling a little bit more, but we’re going to find the solution for it,” he told HLTV, adding that the players do not believe they are far from returning to their previous level.

apEX is taking a similarly measured view because of what the roster has already accomplished. He said Vitality entered the period with five major objectives and completed four of them, including two Grand Slams and Major victories in Austin and Budapest. The one target they missed was Cologne.

Rather than viewing that miss as evidence that the lineup has reached its limit, apEX pointed to Vitality simply falling short of their own standard. He felt the biggest issue during their Cologne run was a lack of desire compared with the level the team had shown throughout its strongest periods.

The immediate focus has shifted to EWC, where the team wants a stronger showing in front of French supporters in Paris. ZywOo described the event as particularly important for Vitality, with family, friends and home fans expected to be part of the occasion.

Trophies Remain the Goal Through 2028

When asked what they want from the new contract period, both players arrived at the same answer: more trophies.

apEX said he no longer feels he needs to prove that he belongs at the top after years of criticism, including doubts that followed his move into the IGL role in 2020. His remaining motivation is straightforward. “My goal is to win. Win Majors, win titles, win whatever, just win everything I can until I’m done,” he told HLTV.

He also said he would already be proud of his career if it ended with his current trophy haul. That changes the target for the next two and a half years from validating his role to adding as much as possible before retirement.

ZywOo is taking a similar team-first approach despite already having an extensive list of individual awards. He said he is not setting specific MVP targets or adding extra individual pressure, and would be satisfied whether the next phase produces one additional award or several. Winning tournaments remains the priority.

apEX Says This Could Be His Last Contract

The biggest uncertainty attached to the 2028 extensions is whether this will be apEX’s final professional contract. He expects to be almost 36 when the deal expires and admitted that retirement becomes a realistic possibility at that point.

“It might be my last contract now, because I will be almost 36 when it is done,” apEX told HLTV. He had once expected his career to finish around age 30, but said continuing to compete and giving his best each day made another extension feel normal rather than exceptional.

He identified three circumstances that could eventually push him towards retirement: losing the trust of his teammates, becoming tired of professional Counter-Strike, or needing to prioritise his family. The last of those is becoming more important because apEX said he is due to become a father within the coming months.

That means even another offer from Vitality would not automatically settle the question after 2028. apEX said that if he is still performing and the organisation offers another year, the decision would involve his partner and child as much as his own desire to continue playing. For now, his new contract guarantees another two and a half years with the club before that conversation needs to happen.