
Team Vitality captain Dan “apEX” Madeskler shared his thoughts in an interview at the 2026 CS2 Esports World Cup after advancing to the playoffs, commented on his team’s success on the Dust2 map, and reflected on the French club’s performance in the event’s overall standings.
On the one hand, I think we played well today, but on the other hand, I can’t help but note that Lynn Vision played poorly. In any case, we’re now trying to focus more on our own form and performance, especially after what happened in the series against B8 Esports. It’s sad that things like this happen at a tournament like this, but now we really want to do everything we can to not disappoint our French fans—and, of course, ourselves.
Even though we’ve lost all four of our most recent matches on Dust2, I still believe we’re strong on that map. Of course, in some games on this map, we were practically invisible on the server, and I’m not entirely sure why. It’s extremely important for us right now to fix that and get back on track. In any case, picking Dust2 against Team Vitality is always a risk. We knew our opponents would pick it, and we were ready, so today luck was on our side.
I wouldn’t say we’re thinking about the global club competition taking place here. I think we’ve been Vitality’s main asset for a long time now, and our results in CS really help the organization. Of course, I sincerely hope we can help the club go far, but we shouldn’t focus on that—otherwise, nothing will work out. We should be concerned first and foremost with our own performance: if we play well and at a high level, we’ll be able to finish in the top spots, and that’s what matters most.
Today, Team Vitality defeated Lynn Vision Gaming in the decisive group stage match at the 2026 Esports World Cup in CS2 with a score of 2-0 in a best-of-3 series. Dan “apEX” Madeskler’s team secured their spot in the tournament’s playoffs.
Photo by Stephanie Lindgren, BLAST.