As IEM Rio drew near, ESL introduced a bounty on Team Vitality, aiming to incentivize rival organizations to challenge and eliminate them from the tournament. What began as a $10,000 prize escalated significantly as Vitality progressed, eliminating opponents. The bounty reached a peak of $100,000 for the grand final. This meant that if Team Spirit had emerged victorious, they would have claimed their regular prize money along with an additional $100,000. Consequently, Team Spirit’s defeat likely felt more poignant than ever.
Ultimately, Team Vitality proved unstoppable, effortlessly overcoming Team Spirit with a decisive 3-0 scoreline in the IEM Rio grand finals. This triumph solidifies their ongoing dominance and positions them as the team to beat heading into BLAST Rivals Spring 2026, IEM Atlanta, and IEM Cologne in June.
Were you surprised by this outcome?