Apex Comments on Vitality’s Elimination from the IEM Cologne Major 2026

Dan “Apex” Madeskler is dissatisfied with Vitality’s level of preparation at the IEM Cologne Major 2026.

The Vitality captain’s statement was posted on Telegram.

“I don’t think we played well. I really wanted to win, but that’s life. We’ve won so many times that sometimes you have to realize: to grow, you have to lose. Let’s hope that’s what we’ll do.

We’re going through a bit of a slump. The players didn’t perform well, and our teamwork was lacking. But that’s CS for you.

It’s been a disappointing Major—I won’t lie. I don’t think we played a single good game here—neither during the group stage nor today. That’s how it goes sometimes in CS. This time we didn’t reach our peak, and that’s unfortunate. But we also have to give credit to the Falcons, who played well.”

According to a statement by Dan “Apex” Madeskler, the Vitality captain acknowledges a dip in the team’s form but hopes the roster can use this loss as a stepping stone for further growth. Apex also praised the preparation of Team Falcons, who defeated Vitality in the quarterfinals of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoffs, after which the team exited the tournament in the top 8.

As a reminder, Dan “apEX” Madeskler had previously addressed BetBoom Team captain Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov, praising his opponent’s preparation.