Team Vitality has officially announced the contract renewals of Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut and Dan “apEX” Madesclaire. Both players have signed new agreements that will keep them with the French organization through 2028. The news was revealed live in Paris today during the Esports World Cup.
Ongoing negotiations and long-term commitments
Both ZywOo and apEX originally joined Team Vitality when the organization entered Counter-Strike in 2018. By the end of this current contract cycle, the duo will have spent ten years competing under the same banner. The extension process has been underway for several months. There had been ongoing talks between apEX and Vitality all the way since early spring, as the French in-game leader confirmed to us in an interview before BLAST Rotterdam.
ZywOo continues to build his resume as one of the most decorated players in Counter-Strike history, currently holding 32 HLTV MVP awards and three Major MVPs. apEX has guided the team to three Major titles and 26 S-Tier trophies as the in-game leader, earning HLTV’s IGL of the Year award in both 2023 and 2025.
Recent tournament results and roster stability
The contract extensions follow a highly successful two-year period for the current roster. Competing alongside Shahar “flameZ” Shushan, William “mezii” Merriman, and Robin “ropz” Kool, the French duo helped the organization secure two ESL Grand Slam titles and achieve a 30-match winning streak in 2025.
The team has maintained a high level of performance into 2026. So far this year, Team Vitality has claimed five international trophies, winning IEM Krakow, PGL Cluj-Napoca, BLAST Rotterdam, IEM Rio, and BLAST Rivals Spring.
Local promotional campaign in Paris
To coincide with the announcement at the Esports World Cup, Team Vitality launched a dedicated marketing campaign across Paris. The organization placed promotional posters around Porte de Versailles and operated a custom branded bus throughout the capital. Additionally, the Parisian artist NAIRONE created a black-and-white mural at Quai de Valmy to publicly mark the contract renewals of the two franchise players.
