Vitality Succeed Over FaZe Clan, Lift Second Consecutive Major Title in Budapest

Foo Zen-Wen

The final Counter-Strike 2 major of 2025 comes to a close tonight in Budapest as Team Vitality are crowned the victors in the MVM Dome arena. Victory came for Vitality after defeating FaZe Clan 3-1 in CS2’s first ever Major Bo5.

Vitality: Writing History In the Present

A successful lift to cap of what will undoubtedly, in the years to come, be considered one of the greatest runs from any team within a single competitive year. Vitality’s victory tonight came at the expense of FaZe Clan, whose own journey in Budapest was a thrilling revival of form and excitement. The much-anticipated clash between the two teams may not have been electrifying on the server, but the victory solidifies Vitality’s claim not just for 2025, but their place in history.

Their victory in Budapest marks them now as only the fourth ever team to win back-to-back Major titles, and the first in 6 years to do so; the last team to do so being Astralis back in 2019 and they join an elite group that includes the likes of Fnatic and Luminosity. Throughout CSGO and potentially CS history, Astralis is considered the greatest to ever do it. But now, a new claimant enters the arena. Will Vitality be the one to usurp the title with their own dynasty?

The Best Team of the Year? Peaking at the Right Moment

Questions were raised of Vitality’s form coming into the Budapest Major. The team hadn’t looked the same since lifting the Austin Major back in June. While still making deep runs, only one trophy lift in the 6 months since was certainly a fall-off from the first half of their year.

Those questions only rose after FaZe Clan seized a win off them in the opening round of Stage 3. Vitality’s recovery to qualify for the playoffs did little to assuage doubts as well, with no notable scalps claimed aside from NAVI. However, it was in the Semifinals against Team Spirit that truly solidified that the team that had dominated the Counter-Strike scene for the first half of the year was still alive and kicking. Pulling off an incredible recovery on Map 1, Vitality went on to silence Spirit on the latter’s own map pick of Dust 2.

Heading into the finals, there was a quiet confidence to their team that even with FaZe taking the first map, looked unshaken. A deafening Dust 2 into a competitive Inferno that eventually went the way of Vitality, FaZe looked shellshocked as Vitality reached series point. Scoring only 2 rounds in the final map of the Major, Vitality send a statement as they lift their final silverware of the year.

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Featured Image Credit: StarLadder CS2

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