G2 End Vitality’s 24-Map Win Streak but Fall in Series at IEM Rio

The upper bracket semifinal of Group A at IEM Rio 2026 delivered one of the most exciting matches of the tournament. G2 Esports managed to snap Team Vitality’s incredible 24-map winning streak, but ultimately lost the series 1–2.

The opening map, Mirage – G2’s pick – was completely dominated by the European side. They secured a convincing 13–5 victory, becoming the first team in weeks to take a map off Vitality. Prior to this, the squad led by Dan “apEX” Madesclaire had not dropped a single map since February 15, when they lost to The Mongolz at PGL Cluj-Napoca.

With this result, Vitality’s streak ended at 24 consecutive map wins. For comparison, the all-time record still belongs to the legendary Ninjas in Pyjamas lineup, who achieved 34 map wins in a row between 2012 and 2013.

Despite the setback, Vitality quickly recovered. They edged out a 16–13 victory on Inferno after overtime and then closed the series on Dust2 with a narrow 13–11 win, securing a 2–1 result and a spot in the playoffs.

The standout performer of the match was Matúš “MATYS” Šimko from G2, who finished with a 56–41 K-D and a 1.26 rating. On the Vitality side, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut once again led the charge with a 52–42 K-D and a 1.22 rating.

Donk played the worst map of his career.

IEM Rio 2026 runs from April 13 to April 19, featuring 16 teams competing for a $300,000 prize pool.