Team Vitality Clinches Austin Major Title After Intense Battle Against The MongolZ

Sagar Mankar
Jun 23
3 min read

After three weeks of intense Counter-Strike 2 action, French side Team Vitality has officially taken home the trophy at the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, defeating the Mongolian powerhouse, The MongolZ, in a dramatic 2-1 series.

Held in front of a packed crowd at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, this 22nd Major had everything—upsets, comebacks, and a storyline that’s got fans talking even days later.

A Tough Start, But Vitality Finds Their Groove

In the semis, Vitality swept aside MOUZ, while The MongolZ stunned everyone with a clean victory over PaiN Gaming, setting the stage for that unlikely—but incredible—final.

The grand finals kicked off on Mirage, picked by The MongolZ, and things didn’t go according to plan for Vitality. Despite grabbing the first few rounds, the French squad quickly found themselves overwhelmed. The MongolZ fought back hard and fast, pulling off a clean 13-5 win. Honestly, it looked like an upset was brewing.

Players like Senzu and 901 were lights out, each racking up 20 kills, and they made Mirage look like their playground. Vitality, meanwhile, seemed a bit shaken—at least for the moment.

But then came Dust II, and that’s when the real Vitality showed up.

Dust II: The Comeback Map

With the pressure mounting, Vitality needed a response, and they delivered. They came out swinging, locking in six straight rounds on defense. By the end of the half, they were up 9-3, and momentum had clearly shifted.

This time, it was mezii leading the charge with a jaw-dropping performance—20 kills and a 1.91 rating. The MongolZ did snag a round or two, but Vitality shut the door with a 13-4 win. The series was tied, and we were heading to a decider: Inferno.

Inferno: Where Legends Are Made

Things started strong for The MongolZ, who grabbed the pistol round and some early control of the map. But the celebration didn’t last long. ZywOo, apEX, flameZ, and mezii clicked into high gear and slowly dismantled the MongolZ’s hopes round by round.

Vitality led 9-3 at halftime and didn’t ease off the gas. Even a slick clutch by Techno4K couldn’t turn things around. Vitality pushed through with a 13-6 victory, locking in a 2-1 series win and claiming the Austin Major trophy—their 2nd Major title overall (first being the Paris Major in 2023).

Vitality’s streak now includes 7 straight trophies, which began with IEM Katowice 2025.

A Milestone for CS2 and the Viewers

According to Esports Charts, this wasn’t just a big win for Vitality. The BLAST.tv Austin Major broke viewership records too, racking up over 76 million hours watched. That makes it the No.1 CS event by Hours Watched, overtaking the legendary PGL Major Stockholm 2021. Peak viewership? A whopping 1.77 million people tuned in at the same time during the finals, making it No. 4 overall.

And how about this: the Mongolian-language stream reached 85,000 concurrent viewers, which is around 2.45% of the entire population of Mongolia. That’s wild.

Final Standings

Here’s how the top of the table looked:

Final Placements

🥇 1st: Team Vitality
🥈 2nd: The MongolZ
3rd/4th: MOUZ, PaiN Gaming
5th–8th: NAVI, FaZe Clan, FURIA, Team Spirit
9th–16th: G2 Esports, Virtus.pro, Legacy, Aurora, 3DMAX, Lynn Vision, Nemiga, Team Liquid
17th–24th: HEROIC, B8, MIBR, TYLOO, M80, Falcons, BetBoom, OG Esports
25th–32nd: FlyQuest, NRG, Wildcard, Imperial, Chinggis Warriors, Complexity, Metizport, Fluxo

What’s Next for CS2?

With the Austin Major wrapped, the scene now shifts to the FISSURE Playground, a 16-team invitational boasting a $450,000 prize pool. After that, all eyes turn to IEM Cologne, where teams will try (yet again) to break Vitality’s incredible hot streak.

As for The MongolZ, they might not have won it all, but they’ve made a serious name for themselves. Coming from a region with little CS representation and making it all the way to a Major final? That’s no small feat. Their run has sparked a wave of support—and maybe even inspired the next generation of Asian CS talent.