The return of mezii has proved Vitality’s supposed demise was greatly exaggerated, though the same cannot be said for Astralis.
Match highlights
FaZe have finally won a trophy. We repeat: FAZE HAVE FINALLY WON A TROPHY. Just a shame it was against NAVI Junior, and that FaZe are still a bit sh-t.Second in Spain and now third in Poland? Get used to seeing Aurora in the top four a lot more often. On the ground in Katowice
The city that drinks Photography by Freddie (@GrimyRannar) Katowice is not how I remember it.
I remember it as it was in January 2023 - cold, dark, and wet. Despite that, though, it had a unique charm to it, and in that sense, it reminded myself and aizyesque of our hometown of Birmingham. There was a clear history to the city, and for one weekend, it lived and breathed Counter-Strike.
It was a treat to be here.
Katowice is very different in October 2026. That subtle charm is gone, replaced by incredible nightlife and bars that never, ever seem to close. That, of course, leads to more white-girl-wasted people than I ever saw at university, but it’s always nice to have something to laugh at over a beer.
And then there’s the Spodek.
IEM Katowice, or Krakow as it now is, unavoidably outgrew the Spodek. It’s the fourth-biggest tournament of the year, and the arena simply isn’t big enough to reflect that, but that doesn’t stop there being some special about it.
As long as you avoid the incessantly over-the-top security guards.
It’s a fantastic arena, and the compact, intimate nature of it only adds to the amazing atmosphere it creates. We might not have been treated to amazing CS here, bar some maps here and there, and as I write this, Vitality are spanking MOUZ in the final -
But who cares?
Any CS will be good in this arena, and if this is the last time we’re here, it’s fitting that it bows out having witnessed the greatest team of all time once more, after they established the start of their era here last year.
But maybe it won’t be the end. Maybe we’ll keep finding our way back here, in one of Counter-Strike’s true homes.
Maybe next time there’ll be a new king crowned here, too.
We do doubt that, though. Vitality aren’t ever going away.
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