FNATIC closed the VCT EMEA Stage 1 group phase with a perfect 5-0 record. No other team in Group Omega or Alpha managed it this split except FUT Esports, who matched them on the other side. Both earned upper bracket byes heading into playoffs starting May 7 at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin.
EMEA Bracket: Two Openers, Two Teams on Standby
The upper bracket opens with Eternal Fire facing Team Heretics and Team Liquid taking on Team Vitality. Winners advance to the upper semifinals against FUT Esports and FNATIC, who sit idle until May 8. BBL Esports and Gentle Mates drop straight into the lower bracket.
FNATIC’s group stage numbers back up the hype. Five series wins across five weeks, including a 2-1 over GIANTX in Week 4 where they dropped Haven 3-13 before closing out Bind and Breeze. They lost maps but never a series. The roster dealt with a health-related substitution during the split (Desmo filled in for Veqaj) and still came out the other side without a blemish on the W column.
FUT Esports ran Group Alpha clean. Between them and FNATIC, the two group winners went a combined 10-0 in series. The gap between the top and the rest of EMEA is wider than most predicted.
Pacific Opens in Seoul, Ends in Ho Chi Minh City
Pacific follows the same May 7 start. Rex Regum Qeon opens against Global Esports, and DRX meets FULL SENSE in upper round one. Group winners Paper Rex and T1 hold byes into the upper semis. DetonatioN FocusMe and Nongshim RedForce begin in the lower bracket.
Early rounds play out at the Sangam Colosseum in Seoul. The top-four stage moves to the Thiskyhall Sala Convention Center in Ho Chi Minh City for May 15-17. Vietnam hosts a tier-one VCT Pacific event for the first time.
London, Points, and a New Path
Top three from each region qualify for Masters London at the Copper Box Arena (June 6-21). Championship Points feed directly into the Champions Shanghai race later this year.
2026 also brings Path to Champions, replacing Ascension. Four Challengers teams per region enter Stage 2 Playoffs with a direct competitive route to Champions. Tier-two rosters have never had this kind of access before.
VCT EMEA and Pacific playoffs run through May 17. Grand finals are Bo5. FNATIC, with two unbeaten group winners sharing the bracket, carry the cleanest form line in the region heading into Berlin.
