Vitality destroy FURIA in IEM Krakow 2026 Final to retain Hall of Heroes title

Vitality have secured back-to-back Hall of Heroes titles, after winning IEM Krakow 2026 in a convincing 3:1 win over FURIA. An early hiccup wasn’t enough to deny Vitality their crown, retaining their title in Poland after winning IEM Katowice 2025 last year.

Let’s unpack all the action after Vitality got themselves on the board for trophies in 2026.

Vitality survive early hiccup to dominate FURIA

FURIA‘s IEM Krakow 2026 Final got off to a dream start. An impressive comeback saw them take Mirage 13:11, from being down 9:3 at one point. They had to win 11 of the last 13 rounds to claim the first map, and it was the type of win that really should have put Vitality‘s mental in the bin. Individually, it was the first time in a while we saw mezii really struggle to keep up with his teammates.

But again, this is Vitality. Endurance is in their name. And with Inferno up next, an opportunity. Vitality flew out of the gates once more, putting FURIA on the back foot from the off. Although FURIA were able to keep the scoreline competitive at 13:8, a ludicrous 2.22-rated ZywOo performance meant there was simply no chance of a win in this one. The Chosen One was present and accounted for in the server, and with molodoy putting up a 0.87 rating on Inferno, it felt as though the occasion may have been getting to him.

As we reached Nuke, it felt as though FURIA had accepted the eventual outcome even with the series tied up. This time, it was mezii to star, making up for his rough map one with a 2.26-rated showing of his own. ZywOo, again with the 1.83 rating, with molodoy again struggling with an uncharacteristic 4:15 scoreline. FURIA were left without a hope, falling 13:2 and hurtling us towards this series’ inevitable conclusion.

In our Grand Final preview, we predicted a 3:1 Vitality win, with the occasion ultimately getting the better of FURIA. This match followed that exact script to the letter, and Overpass was not about to subvert any expectations set by the prior three maps. Vitality again were strong, with FURIA seemingly unable to manage the basics overnight. Vitality weren’t stressed on Overpass, even things got close – dare I say they even looked as though they were having plenty of fun on the playercams, a sign of how one-sided this map was. Overpass ended 13:10, and Vitality were officially the very first IEM Krakow winners.

An undeniably sad showing for FURIA, who will feel they were up against a Vitality in this series that they had the tools to beat if they had played at their very best. But this is just another chapter in the evolving Vitality story. The team that is now, for my money, the greatest Counter-Strike team of all time. You can keep your prime Astralis. The Danes were remarkable. But apEX, ZywOo, ropz, flameZ, and mezii? They’re even better. Where does it end for Vitality? There’s no sign of fatigue, no sign of stopping them. They won’t win every single event, sure, but when the stakes are the highest, you know they’ll be at the front of the pack.