The grand finals featured an age-old rivalry between upper bracket finalists FunPlus Phoenix FunPlus Phoenix Inactive SUYGETSU Dmitry Ilyushin Zyppan Pontus Eek ANGE1 Kyrylo Karasov Shao Andrey Kiprsky ardiis Ardis Svarenieks and a G2 Esports G2 Esports Inactive fresh off a lower bracket run. Both teams had made significant changes since their previous encounter in 2021, which ended in a G2 victory.

Icebox

The first map of the best-of-five was Icebox, picked by G2 and known to be their strongest map. FPX surprised by showing up with a different composition featuring Shao on Jett.

The series began with G2 winning the pistol and anti-eco, to which FPX replied with two rounds of their own. G2 fought through the weapons disadvantage and claimed a point. They lost the following round, but Mixwell dropped a quick 1v2 clutch after Meddo created space for the team to secure the next.

Unfortunately, that round would be the last G2 would get in a long time. Several attempts to take the site were denied by FPX even despite the seemingly careful executes. FPX frequently outshone their counterparts mechanically.

A glimmer of hope for G2 appeared when Mixwell caught ANGE1 picking up an orb, securing a man advantage, but Shao shattered any prospects with incredible 4K.

FPX followed up the next two rounds with a 4K from SUYGETSU , and ended their defense with a comfortable 8-4 lead.

G2 did not fare much better on defense, losing the pistol and eco to FPX's well-played post plants. After securing the next round, G2 called a timeout at 11-5. The pause seemed to help in the following round, but it was too little too late, as FPX closed out the map with two more rounds.

The star of Icebox was Shao who ended with a 2.6 KDA and 308 ACS.

Breeze

The second map, Breeze, was a surprising pick from FPX as they hadn't played it against any other teams outside of their region.

Round 1 was poised to go G2's way thanks to a strong defense, but a 1v2 clutch by Zyppan secured the pistol round. FPX converted the round after, but fell to G2's full buy round, marking the start of a turnaround by the Europeans. G2 managed to keep pace with FPX through quick rotations and well-connected kills. Even when FPX attempted to change up the pace in round 6 with a fast push, Mixwell was there to deny the attempt with a flashy 3K.

FPX had no response until G2 rang in their seventh round in a row. The CIS team rushed onto the B site and locked it down with Viper's pit. With two operators in hand, a retake proved difficult from G2. A lurk and ace from SUYGETSU the following round furthered FPX's comeback and built into a final 7-5 score for G2 at the half.

The first two rounds after the swap went to G2 as they swept their opponents off their feet. A full buy allowed FPX to counter, leading to a slew of back-and-forth rounds. A low-HP clutch from hoody allowed to take match point, followed up by the winning round.

When asked about the secrets of G2's latest consistency, pipsoN replied: “There's not really a secret because we were practicing really really hard, starting from when we just signed me, Meddo and hoody. We had some rough parts during the road but we always knew that we had it because we knew the results from pracc we got. We never managed to show it but when we start winning we understand that we can do it."

Ascent

The next pick from FPX, Ascent, saw neither team take over the game.

The first two rounds were a statement from CIS team as they scored a flawless in the pistol round and Shao quickly wrapped up any G2 attempts in the following. G2 decided to speed things up as a response, but were met with only one round of success as FPX's setups and timings proved lethal.

A timeout from G2's side at 1-4 momentarily turned the tides, but FPX remained resolute as they denied a clutch by AvovA and an attempt at taking B site in round 8. No matter where G2 went, FPX was always watching and ready. FPX rang in a timeout at 7-3, but it was G2 that managed to pick up two more rounds before the swap.

The first two rounds went to FPX on their attack, followed by a G2 victory on their full buy. However, the remainder of the map showcased clinical execution by FPX, as they wrapped up the map with a phenomenal ace by Shao.

Split

FPX was now at series point, on their pick of Split no less.

G2 opened with a shocking performance on defense, quickly shutting down any FPX attempts at entering sites. SUYGETSU's antics almost net FPX a round, but Mixwell denied the play. An FPX timeout at 0-5 did little to stem the bleeding, as G2 furthered their lead to 7-0.

The CIS team turned the tables around on round 8 and clawed their way back from disaster. A Mixwell 3K momentarily paused the comeback, but FPX ultimately managed to narrow to gap to a four-round deficit at the half.

FPX extended their streak on the defense, aided by a 1v4 baddyG clutch. G2 managed to break through with two quick rounds, leading to an FPX timeout. Revitalized, FPX mirrored G2's first-half performance, and ultimately tied up the series 12-12.

The map seemed within G2's grasp in overtime, but three straight rounds from FPX sealed G2's fate at 16-14.

With their victory, FPX secured the Stage 1: EMEA Challengers title and first EMEA seed at Masters 1: Reyjkavik.

“I don't know what to say, there are so many emotions right now,” said baddyG in the post-match interview. “I can't believe that we are EMEA champions. There were so many things that went wrong in the last weeks and we managed to win the whole season. It's like a dream come true: here we are, champions of EMEA!”