Group Alpha
Team Liquid set the tone on opening day with a clean 2-0 sweep of Karmine Corp (13-10 Haven, 13-7 Pearl). nAts and the rebuilt roster featuring kamo, MiniBoo, purp0, and newcomer wayne looked structured and composed. KC’s individual talent, particularly SUYGETSU, produced flashes, but Liquid’s executions were sharper at every stage of the match.
The headline result from Group Alpha came on Day 3: Natus Vincere stunned Team Heretics 2-1 despite fielding chloric as a brand-new IGL and integrating rookie Kolosha into the lineup. Heretics took their Pearl pick 13-9, but NaVi answered on Lotus (13-9) and sealed the Bind decider (13-9) with hiro and Ruxic carrying the fragging load. ComeBack top-fragged for Heretics but could not prevent what amounted to the biggest upset of the week. Boo‘s calling looked predictable, a problem that carried over from a rough Kickoff showing.
FUT Esports completed the Turkish sweep in Group Alpha with a 2-1 reverse against Gentle Mates (10-13 Pearl, 13-8 Bind, 13-6 Haven). marteen opened the series with an ace on Pearl, but FUT’s firepower depth proved too much across three maps. sociablEE, yetujey, and xeus all went positive, and s0pp showed why he was brought in for 2026.
Group Alpha standings after Week 1:
| Team | Record | Map W/L | Round ฮ |
| Team Liquid | 1-0 | 2-0 | +9 |
| FUT Esports | 1-0 | 2-1 | +9 |
| Natus Vincere | 1-0 | 2-1 | +4 |
| Team Heretics | 0-1 | 1-2 | -4 |
| Gentle Mates | 0-1 | 1-2 | -9 |
| Karmine Corp | 0-1 | 0-2 | -9 |
Group Omega
Team Vitality reminded everyone why they entered the stage as favorites, dismantling GIANTX 2-0 (13-8 Haven, 13-3 Pearl). The rebuilt roster built around Derke, Jamppi, Chronicle, and newcomers PROFEK and Sayonara barely broke a sweat. Pearl was a 10-round stretch of pure execution dominance. GIANTX had no answers on either map.
The opening match of the entire stage went to Fnatic, but it was far from comfortable. Eternal Fire, competing in their first VCT EMEA appearance after replacing the removed ULF Esports, pushed Fnatic to three maps. The newcomers took Bind 17-15 in overtime after Alfajer dropped 33 kills on a losing effort. Fnatic needed a 13-2 Lotus stomp in the decider to close the series. Veqaj, the Chronicle replacement, finished with a strong stat line across all three maps.
BBL Esports handled PCIFIC Esports 2-0 (13-11 Split, 13-8 Breeze) in a matchup between two Turkish-region organizations. cNed‘s return to tier-one VALORANT with PCIFIC produced some individual highlights, but BBL’s veteran core controlled both maps.
Group Omega standings after Week 1:
| Team | Record | Map W/L | Round ฮ |
| Team Vitality | 1-0 | 2-0 | +15 |
| Fnatic | 1-0 | 2-1 | +11 |
| BBL Esports | 1-0 | 2-0 | +5 |
| PCIFIC Esports | 0-1 | 0-2 | -5 |
| Eternal Fire | 0-1 | 1-2 | -11 |
| GIANTX | 0-1 | 0-2 | -15 |
Key Takeaways from Week 1
NaVi’s rebuild is ahead of schedule. Losing ANGE1 from the active roster and shifting Shao to coaching could have been a disaster. Instead, chloric called a disciplined series against a Heretics roster with significantly more tier-one experience. Filu on Chamber is already a weapon, and hiro remains one of the most underrated fraggers in EMEA.
Team Heretics have a problem. Losing to NaVi with a new IGL and a rookie stand-in is not where a former Champions finalist wants to be. The individual pieces are there: RieNs, benjyfishy, Wo0t can all shoot. But the system around them is stale. Boo‘s IGL framework has not evolved since late 2025, and ComeBack, brought in to elevate the ceiling, has not yet clicked.
Fnatic’s defense carried them; their attack did not. The Bind loss to Eternal Fire exposed a recurring pattern. Fnatic build from the back and struggle to convert attack rounds consistently, especially on maps with limited mid control. Boaster won the Skirmish Side Selection 5-2 against audaz, but that advantage did not translate into attack-side fluency.
FUT Esports are dangerous. Four players who can entry-frag at the highest level in sociablEE, yetujey, xeus, and s0pp give this roster a ceiling that most EMEA squads cannot match on raw aim alone. If KROSTALY finds consistency in the support role, FUT could challenge for a top-four spot.
Masters London Qualification: What Is at Stake
Three teams from EMEA will advance to Masters London through this stage. The top four from each group reach the playoffs, a double-elimination bracket running May 7-17. First-place seeds from each group receive a bye into the Upper Bracket Semifinals, meaning they are one BO3 away from guaranteed qualification. Fourth seeds start in the Lower Bracket with no margin for error.
Championship Points are also on the line. These determine the additional EMEA representatives at VALORANT Champions later in the year.
Week 2 Preview: Fnatic vs. Vitality Headlines the Schedule
Week 2 brings the first true blockbuster matchups of the stage. Full schedule (all times CEST):
| Wednesday, April 8 | Thursday, April 9 | Friday, April 10 | |
| 17:00 | PCIFIC Esports vs. GIANTX | Fnatic vs. Team Vitality | FUT Esports vs. Natus Vincere |
| 20:00 | BBL Esports vs. Eternal Fire | Team Liquid vs. Team Heretics | Gentle Mates vs. Karmine Corp |
The Match to Watch: Fnatic vs. Team Vitality
This is the marquee fixture of Week 2 and potentially the most consequential match of the entire group stage. Both teams won in Week 1, but this head-to-head will likely determine who finishes first in Group Omega and earns that Upper Bracket bye.
Vitality’s 13-3 Pearl demolition of GIANTX was the most dominant single-map performance of Week 1. The question is whether Fnatic can sustain the attacking pressure needed to match that level across a BO3, given how much they struggled on attack against Eternal Fire. Expect Alfajer vs. Derke to be the individual duel everyone watches, but the real battle is Boaster vs. Chronicle in the IGL/support framework.
Team Liquid vs. Team Heretics: Early Season Momentum on the Line
Liquid looked clean in Week 1. Heretics did not. Both teams have Masters London aspirations, and a loss here would leave Heretics at 0-2 heading into the middle of the group stage. That is recoverable on paper, but the schedule does not get easier: NaVi, Gentle Mates, and FUT still remain. nAts vs. Boo is a fascinating IGL clash, but right now the gap in structure between these two rosters is significant.
FUT Esports vs. Natus Vincere
Both teams carry a 1-0 record and genuine momentum. If NaVi’s chloric-led system can back up the Heretics result against another strong opponent, it would confirm that the young IGL is the real deal. FUT will bring raw firepower and aggression. This match has sleeper potential for the series of the week.
The Bottom Half
PCIFIC Esports vs. GIANTX is a must-win for both after opening losses. cNed and the PCIFIC roster showed competitiveness against BBL; GIANTX were outclassed by Vitality. BBL Esports vs. Eternal Fire is an all-Turkish clash where Eternal Fire will look to prove their Fnatic scare was no fluke. Gentle Mates vs. Karmine Corp features two 0-1 teams in Group Alpha, both needing a win to avoid falling behind in the qualification race.
Week 2 begins Wednesday at 17:00 CEST. All matches are broadcast live from the Riot Games Arena in Berlin on the official VCT Twitch and YouTube channels.
