Vitality lost 1–2 to Falcons in the third-place match at the Esports World Cup 2025 and finished the tournament in fourth place. After the series, MN spoke with Mathieu ZywOo Herbaut about the team’s prolonged downturn, the reasons behind his lower individual numbers, and Vitality’s main objective for the rest of the year.

This is now the fourth tournament in a row that you have finished in the top four. What is going wrong compared with the excellent first half of the year?

I think it is an overall issue.
Individually, we are not shooting as well right now, and that applies to everyone. Maybe we hesitate more, lack confidence, and sometimes do not feel comfortable.
We are not always making decisions as a team. So it is not one specific thing—we are lacking almost everything at the moment.

— ZywOo

Looking at your statistics this season, there has been an unusually high number of maps on which your rating was below your usual level. How do you personally reflect on this period, and what do you think has been going wrong?

I do not know yet. To be honest, I have not checked my statistics.
When the team is not feeling great, it is also difficult to put up strong numbers individually.
I do not feel that my individual level has gone down significantly. Sometimes it is simply much harder to perform when the team is not feeling confident.
So I think it is mostly connected to the team’s overall situation.

— ZywOo

Make one promise to yourself that you will fulfill by the end of the year.

To return to the strength we showed in the first half of the year.