FURIA sweep Vitality to win IEM Chengdu 2025

FURIA have completed a clean 3:0 sweep over favorites Vitality to win the IEM Chengdu 2025 title. Despite coming into the series as underdogs, FURIA looked confident as they rocked Vitality out of the server.

FURIA surprise Vitality with quick series

With wins at FISSURE Playground 2 and the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 of late, we know this FURIA has what it takes to win trophies. But each trophy came with an asterisk against the level of opposition faced. At IEM Chengdu 2025, there can be no such asterisk. All the best CS2 teams in the world were here, and they still emerged as champions.

This was a series defined by its veto. Both teams permaban Ancient, but neither chose to do so here, instead opting to ban their opponents’ best map. Reminder: this was the first time apEX had EVER played Ancient in his entire professional career. FURIA had the cajones to actually pick Ancient first, a gamble that paid off massively. They beat Vitality 13:11, but it was every bit as messy as you might expect. Perhaps better than your average FACEIT 3k elo pug, but not as far as you’d hope from a Grand Final.

It was on Inferno that things really got insurmountable for Vitality in this IEM Chengdu 2025 Final. As their map pick, getting this over the line felt fundamental, but FURIA stole it away 13:10. More fine margins, but it makes all the difference. Map three was Overpass, which has been far more comfortable for FURIA of late than Vitality. Yet again, it was another close affair, but FURIA edged it out in a tight 13:11. On another day, we’re talking about a clean 3:0 Vitality win, but it was FURIA who had that touch of class necessary to see out this IEM Chengdu 2025 Final.

YOUR #IEM CHENGDU 2025 CHAMPIONS LIFT THE TROPHY

🏆@FURIA🏆 pic.twitter.com/N3J2hXKunA

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) November 9, 2025

molodoy is the truth

You can give plaudits all around to the individuals on FURIA. They’re all great, and are integral parts of the formula that make this team tick. But molodoy is the truth. Let there be no doubt about that. The Kazakhstani AWPer has been the key ingredient to transform FURIA into a true title-winning side, one that can now be seen as a very real competitor in every competition. He has those “quick as a flash” moments of a m0NESY, while also managing to have the stable consistency of a dev1ce or sh1ro. A real hybrid in this regard.

In the IEM Chengdu 2025 Grand Final, molodoy posted 61 kills, the highest in the server. With the pressure at its highest, molodoy delivers better than anyone else. With young prodigies, pressure is often the one thing holding them back from greatness. Some crumble under it. Others don’t feel it at all; they thrive in it, even. Last year, we saw that with donk, another player who seemingly doesn’t concern himself with the tension of the moment. In molodoy, FURIA has another one.

Now, as we prepare to head into the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 in a few weeks, FURIA have managed to put themselves into real Major contention. Who’d have thought that when molodoy and YEKINDAR were signed back in April?