NTMR’s skin bundle for The Finals / Image credit: Embark Studios
TL;DR
The Finals Grand Major 2025 took place at DreamHack Stockholm from November 28-29
In total, 16 teams from NA, EMEA, China, and Korea battled through multiple Cashout stages to determine the final four.
North American NTMR dominated the championship bracket with creative use of the game’s systems.
A long time in the making, The Finals reached a milestone with its first international championship. The Finals Grand Major 2025 took place at DreamHack Stockholm, alongside other esports titles such as Overwatch 2, Brawl Stars, and Counter-Strike. The two-day The Finals Grand Major schedule featured group stages on November 28, followed by playoffs and the Grand Finals on November 29.
The 16 qualified teams from around the world underwent regional qualifiers to earn a place, and even included big names from established esports organisations. After two days, The Finals’ first-ever major champion was crowned, but will this event be a breakthrough moment as an esport, or will this tournament be the last?
The Finals Grand Major overview
The Grand Major was the culmination of The Finals’ “Year 0” competitive circuit, designed by developer Embark Studios as the game’s big esports debut. Teams earned spots through regional qualifiers: North America, Europe (EMEA), China, and Korea each held competitions to send their best squads to Stockholm.
The Finals Grand Major teams came from famous organisations like Fnatic, Team Secret, TSM, and Gen.G fielded teams for the tournament, along with rising squads. Among these 16 teams, the top NA qualifier, ENVY (formerly Bricked), and the EMEA winner, Gen.G (formerly Que Du Love), were the teams to watch for the tournament.
The Finals Grand Major bracket took shape after the opening phases, with eliminations and final-round placements determined by Cashout rankings and 3v3 duels. The Grand Major’s format featured the game’s iconic mode, Cashout, where four teams of three players deposit cash in vaults and protect it to gain points.
After splitting the teams into groups of four, the rosters would first go through the standard four-team Cashout, and then the top two and bottom two teams would move on to a separate 3v3 Cashout mode.
With three phases and elimination matches in between, this slowly whittled down the competition until the final four teams were set for the final round.
Group stage recap
Right from Phase 1, it was clear that The Finals Major would not simply follow the script of anything that happened before the tournament. One of the favourites going into the tournament, Gen.G, was dead last and the first to be eliminated, alongside Five Fears.
Gen.G finds a surprising flank to wipe the team / Image credit: The Finals YouTube
Meanwhile, ENVY was performing as expected, placing at the top of its group and winning over Pulsar Blue in the 3v3 duel. It was becoming increasingly clear that North American teams were dominating the tournament, with teams like Pioneers, NTMR, and Spacestation winning in the top two battles of their respective groups, earning them a fast pass to Phase 3.
APAC’s representatives were quickly knocked out of the Grand Major, losing all of their teams by the end of Phase 2, which includes Chinese KINGZERO and Korean FN Esports. Chinese roster Dragon Ranger Gaming made it the furthest and finished the tournament at 9th place, but fell to TSM 0-2 during their elimination match.
Now on Phase 3, the competition intensified with eight teams left that were split into two groups. The match between Spacestation Gaming, ENVY, Alliance, and TSM was peak Finals, and had many great moments that showcased its spectacle as an esport.
In the end, Spacestation Gaming was the first to secure its spot in the last four by defeating ENVY. Then, in the elimination match, TSM clutches a win against the hometown team Alliance with a literal last-second but masterful steal after they had been behind the whole series. Team Secret and Fnatic also made it.
After eliminating ENVY, this left NTMR and TSM to contest the final elimination match of the grand major. While this series ended with 2-0 in favour of NTMR, they both gave it their all and created another must-watch series of the tournament.
Grand finals recap
By Saturday afternoon, four teams had survived to the Finals: NTMR, Team Secret, Fnatic, and Spacestation Gaming. NTMR, the self-proclaimed nightmare squad from NA, with relatively fresh faces to the scene. Team Secret, a well-known esports org from Europe hot off its win from Pro League Season 2.
Fnatic, one of the first to announce its roster for the game, signed a lineup formerly known as BEAMERS. Spacestation Gaming has been crushing the tournament so far. This resulted in an even split between two North American and European teams, with each competing for the championship.
The last section of the tournament delivered one more twist in the format, alternating between the four-team Cashout to a best-of-two 3v3 based on the top two teams. This cycle repeats until a team reaches five points to become the Grand Major Champion.
NTMR races to match point
After the first four-team battle, Spacestation Gaming and NTMR were the first two teams to fight in the duel. NTMR outclassed its opponents and immediately earned two points in its tally. These two teams soon meet again in the next round with the same 2-0 results.
As early as the third round, NTMR is already on match point with its four-point lead. This is when the other teams locked in and gave their best performances. The bottom two teams from the last two rounds, Fnatic and Team Secret, both got an early lead and stalled the game to make it to the duel, where TS grabbed its own two points.
Team Secret continued its hot streak and finished first during the four-team Cashout. However, tensions were high as NTMR also nabbed second place, putting them one win away from winning the major.
The first few minutes were tense as both teams spaced each other out and tried to stall the first Cashout. NTMR secured the first Cashout as Team Secret couldn’t mount a successful offence.
Team Secret and NTMR fight for the last Vault / Image credit: THE FINALS YouTube
However, the final sequence was filled with smart plays from both teams and ended with back-to-back steals to perfectly cap off the major, with NTMR clinching the championship.
NTMR deserved to win the major because they played The Finals as it’s meant to be played. They used everything to their advantage: environment, gadgets, and all the game’s dynamic systems to get an edge over their opponents. Looking back at their tournament run, there were many creative plays off the back of Winch Claws, Goo Grenades, Dome Shields, Gateways, and generally using all the utility the game offers.
Conclusion
The Finals Grand Major results confirmed the rise of North American dominance, but other regions aren’t so far behind. For fans of The Finals, you couldn’t ask for a better major. The tournament was filled with countless creative plays and clutch moments with the best teams in the world, and ended with the last-second steal that happens so often in this fast-paced game.
However, from a viewership standpoint, The Finals Grand Major had modest but noteworthy numbers for a debut event. The English stream peaked at just over 30,000 concurrent viewers during the Grand Finals, with the on-site turnout packed to capacity with about 700 seats.
The Finals is still an underrated game that struggles to retain a player count deserving of its satisfying gameplay. So, despite the success of the major, the viewership numbers and player count underscore that the game still has a long road ahead to break into the upper echelon of esports titles.
FAQs
Who won The Finals Grand Major 2025?
North American team NTMR won the first The Finals Grand Major, blitzing through the final four to score an early five points to win.
What is the prize pool for The Finals Grand Major 2025?
The total prize pool for The Finals Grand Major 2025 is $100,000. Winners NTMR received $37,500, while runner-up Team Secret received $17,500.
