Vitality’s BLAST Rivals 2026 grand final win — recovering from 0-11 down on Nuke to take the map and the trophy — was the latest entry in a long history of reverse stories. Here are the five biggest comebacks in the team’s lifetime, plus the one collapse that still haunts the locker room.
5. Vitality 3-2 NAVI — IEM Beijing-Haidian 2020 Grand Final
Down 0-2 in a Bo5, Vitality completed a reverse sweep with two ZywOo aces. apEX’s summary: ‘Work hard and everything will come — of course, you also need a bit of ZywOo.’
4. Vitality OT FaZe — BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2022
From 7-15 down to an overtime win against FaZe, with a brand-new international roster. Coach Danny Sørensen called it ‘a damn cool comeback… the players showed incredible composure.’
3. Vitality 19-16 G2 — ESL Pro League S16 Semi-Final
The Inferno comeback. Down 7-15, Vitality clawed back to 19-16, with Emil Reif anchoring the defensive turnaround that sent them through to the grand final.
2. Vitality 2-0 FaZe — ESL Pro League S17, with a Stand-In
Audric Jug standing in for dupreeh, two overtime wins (19-16 Anubis, 19-15 Nuke), and Lotan Giladi’s locker-room verdict: ‘He’s an amazing player and an even more amazing person.’
1. Vitality 3-2 Falcons — IEM Melbourne 2025 Grand Final
The big one. 22-20 on Nuke, a 6-12 deficit closed out, the trophy lifted. ZywOo after the match: ‘I’m incredibly tired… I still don’t understand how we came back.’
The collapse: Vitality vs Liquid — IEM Katowice 2023
Not every comeback story has a happy ending. Up 12-0 on Overpass, Vitality lost the map and the series to Team Liquid. apEX, after: ‘I couldn’t sleep… I’ve never lost a game like this before.’
