Counter-Strike Austin Major 2025: Playoffs roundup

Captain apEX celebrates a win / Image credit: Michal Konkol, BLAST TL;DR There were a lot of unpredictable results across the playoffs, but Team Vitality emerging victorious was not one of them. Team Vitality’s run of results in the first half of 2025 and now the Austin Major emphasise their status as the best team … Continued The post Counter-Strike Austin Major 2025: Playoffs roundup appeared first on Esports Insider.

Jun 25, 2025 - 15:48

Counter-Strike Austin Major 2025: Playoffs roundup

Team Vitality celebrating a victory on stage at the CS2 Austin Major 2025 — Captain apEX celebrates a win / Image credit: Michal Konkol, BLAST

TL;DR

There were a lot of unpredictable results across the playoffs, but Team Vitality emerging victorious was not one of them.
Team Vitality’s run of results in the first half of 2025 and now the Austin Major emphasise their status as the best team in Counter-Strike 2.
MongolZ, an all-Mongolian roster of teen prodigies, made history as the first-ever Asian team to reach a major final and was also the youngest.
Two of Brazil’s national teams, FURIA and paiN, made a bold pivot to an international lineup that paid dividends, bringing in stars to complement their Brazilian core.

Counter‑Strike 2’s Austin Major 2025 featured 32 teams competing across three Swiss stages before reaching the playoffs, where the final eight emerged. Dynasties, surprise upsets, and historical milestones all came to a head in Austin’s climax.

The Major may have many unpredictable results, but it also had the most predictable winner. Team Vitality takes it all and can confidently call themselves the best team in the game, and of this era. Now that the dust has settled, let’s recap what happened during the playoffs and what teams need to do to catch up to the new standard. If you missed the group stages, here’s our recap on everything that unfolded.

Vitality: CS2’s era-defining team

Team Vitality capped the first half of 2025 by winning seven trophies in a row, including an ESL Grand Slam trophy and the Austin Major to punctuate their status as the best team in Counter-Strike 2. The team’s turnaround traces back to January’s signing of ropz, which saw captain apEX calling it the “best move of all time”. They cruised through the playoffs, beating NAVI 2-0, MOUZ 2-1, and dominating MongolZ in the championship series after losing the first map.

The team excels tactically and boasts standout individual performances, with tournament MVP ZywOo Herbaut breaking records for the number of awards. But it was IGL apEX who led by example in the grand finals, dropping 43 kills and a 1.37 rating to secure their Major over MongolZ. Despite their questionable best-of-one loss against Legacy, Vitality closes out one of the most successful seasons in Counter-Strike and shows no signs of stopping.

MongolZ’s historic run

MongolZ players on stage during the CS2 Austin Major 2025 grand final — MongolZ made it to the grand final in Austin Major / Image credit: Michal Konkol, BLAST

MongolZ, an all-Mongolian roster of teen prodigies, made history as the first-ever Asian team to reach a major final and was also the youngest. They breezed through the finals after winning 2-0 over both FaZe and paiN. In the grand finals, they put up a convincing Mirage against Vitality with Senzu and 910 putting up 1.82 and 1.80 ratings, respectively. 910’s ace set the crowd roaring in Austin and in Mongolia, where crowds gathered to support their team en masse since early morning.

Even in defeat, the run showcased their raw mechanical talent and made MongolZ legendary contenders on the global stage. The team has had a great season with high placements in big events like IEM Dallas, IEM Melbourne, ESL Pro League Season 21, and IEM Katowice. This roster has the potential to be champions one day, and their inspiring cultural impact in their country will give them the boost they need to finally lift a well-deserved trophy.

FaZe’s gamble with s1mple

FaZe Clan walking onto stage at the CS2 Austin Major 2025 — FaZe Clan hype up Austin / Image credit: Stephanie Lindgren, BLAST

Despite FaZe’s presence in the previous two Major grand finals, they’ve had a lacklustre season, peaking with a third-place finish in PGL Bucharest 2025. The star-studded roster found a great win by acquiring EliGE, but lost ropz to Vitality. Now, after bringing in superstar s1mple on a short-term loan, they were able to make it to the playoffs, but immediately fell in the first match. S1mple couldn’t rise to the occasion in their series, ending with a 24-33 record and a 0.80 rating.