VCT EMEA 2026 Kickoff rosters matter more than ever because this event decides who reaches the first international Masters of the year. Riot’s EMEA league brings 12 partner Valorant teams to Riot Games Arena in Germany from January 20 to February 15, fighting through a triple‑elimination bracket. This is a PC‑only, 5v5 competitive PvP tournament that opens the broader VCT 2026 season for Europe, Turkey, and CIS. With promoted squads like BBL Esports and ULF joining names such as Fnatic, Team Vitality, and NAVI, the gap between tier‑1 and tier‑2 has never looked smaller.
| Team | Key Signings / Stars | Status |
|---|---|---|
| BBL Esports | Rosé, Lar0k, Crewen | Promoted (Core) |
| Fnatic | Boaster, Alfajer, Veqaj | Title Contender |
| FUT Esports | MrFaliN, xeus, cNed* | Rebuilt Core |
| Gentle Mates | starxo (IGL), Martin | Second Chance |
| GIANTX | Cloud, westside, aura | Unchanged |
| Karmine Corp | Sheydos, Doss9, Avez | High Potential |
| NAVI | Xiao, Hero, Roxic | Coach ANGE1 Era |
| PCIFIC | cNed, Kuba, Ninja | New Lineup |
| Team Heretics | ComeBack, Benjyfishy | High Risk/Reward |
| Team Liquid | nAts, MiniBuu, kamo | Rebuilt |
| Team Vitality | Derke, Chronicle, Jamppi | Superteam |
| ULF Esports | nekky, Soop**, Ekko** | Promoted (Stand-ins**) |
VCT EMEA 2026 Kickoff rosters and format
VCT EMEA 2026 Kickoff is an offline S‑tier LAN at Riot Games Arena in Germany, running from January 20 to February 15 with 12 partner teams. The format uses a triple‑elimination playoff bracket, and squads that reached Champions Paris 2025 receive a bye into round two of the upper bracket.
Only four EMEA teams qualify from Kickoff into the global circuit: the champion secures a higher seed, and three more squads earn spots at Masters Santiago later in the year. The full team list is BBL Esports, Fnatic, FUT Esports, Gentle Mates, GIANTX, Karmine Corp, NAVI, Team Heretics, Team Liquid, Team Vitality, ULF Esports, and PCIFIC Esports.
Expert Insight: If you follow a Valorant ranked meta hub, use these rosters as a baseline for agent picks and comp trends; partner‑team officials often leak into high‑elo ranked within a patch or two.
Which teams are in VCT EMEA 2026 Kickoff?
All 12 partner teams in EMEA are in Kickoff: BBL, Fnatic, FUT, Gentle Mates, GIANTX, Karmine Corp, NAVI, Heretics, Liquid, Vitality, ULF, and PCIFIC.
How many Masters spots does EMEA get from Kickoff?
Four EMEA teams qualify for Masters Santiago through Kickoff, with seeding decided by final bracket placement.
Where is VCT EMEA 2026 played?
VCT EMEA 2026 Kickoff and Stage 1 are played on LAN at Riot Games Arena in Germany.
VCT EMEA 2026 Kickoff rosters: Turkish cores and promoted squads
BBL Esports headline the promoted group after signing the entire BBL PCIFIC roster that dominated EMEA Challengers and won Ascension 2025. Their confirmed five for VCT EMEA 2026 are Ali “Crewen” Sargın, Yusuf “Lar0k” Kaan Kanber, Utku “Loita” Kart, Eren “Rosé” Erzan, and Umut “umu7” Pekdoğan.
ULF Esports also join from Ascension with a full Turkish lineup led by IGL Anıl “nekky” Dağdeviren, plus Aldas and Favian on utility roles. Star fraggers Soop and Ekko are 17 and cannot appear at Kickoff, so ULF temporarily field Turkish stand‑ins Deour and Stern until they become eligible.
PCIFIC Esports lost their original promoted core to BBL but rebuilt around Kuba (Cuba) and Ninja from Team Liquid Academy, adding former world champion Mehmet Yağız “cNed” İpek, Alarante from FOKUS, and Seven from TSM’s Challengers project. These three rosters give Turkish fans multiple storylines across both title favorites and dark‑horse squads.
Which VCT EMEA 2026 teams are Turkish‑led?
BBL, FUT Esports, ULF, and parts of PCIFIC and NAVI feature Turkish cores or stars, making Turkey the most represented region in EMEA.
VCT EMEA 2026 Kickoff rosters: Fnatic, Liquid, NAVI, Heretics
Fnatic return with IGL Jake “Boaster” Howlett and Turkish sentinel Emir “Alfajer” Beder, plus 2025 standouts kAAs and crashies, but they lose Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov to Vitality and bring in Veqaj on initiator. Team Liquid keep superstar controller Ayaz “nAts” Akhmetshin and duelist kamo, then add ex‑Heretics duelist MiniBuu, aggressive duelist Pero from Joblife, and controller Wayne from the Pacific league.
NAVI enter a new era with long‑time leader Kyrylo “ANGE1” Karasov moving to head coach while Xiao, Hero, and Roxic stay as the core. New additions sociablEE and Filu round out a lineup expected to fight for top‑four if the leadership transition holds. Team Heretics pivot away from the Los Niños core by signing ComeBack as a higher‑ceiling duelist after his breakout stints on BBL PCIFIC and Gentle Mates.
Are Fnatic still title contenders in EMEA?
Yes. Fnatic kept Boaster, Alfajer, kAAs, and crashies, so their ceiling stays high if Veqaj settles into initiator quickly.
Who leads NAVI in 2026?
ANGE1 coaches NAVI in 2026, with in‑server leadership shared across Xiao, Hero, and Roxic depending on map and comp.
For broader context on agent picks and map choices, it is worth checking a full Valorant map pool breakdown alongside these rosters.
VCT EMEA 2026 Kickoff rosters: Team Vitality, Karmine Corp, GIANTX, FUT, Gentle Mates
Team Vitality build one of the most stacked VCT EMEA 2026 Kickoff rosters with Derke, Chronicle, Jamppi, PROFEK, and Sayonara, plus Sayf as a substitute until Sayonara is fully available. This five combines Fnatic’s former star duo with Jamppi’s IGL experience and PROFEK’s strong 2025 controller form from BBL.
Karmine Corp roll out Avez as IGL, Sigetu on sentinel, Pacific import Doss9, duelist LêwN from BBL, and Sheydos, reuniting him with an ex‑Gambit coach. GIANTX keep their breakout 2025 five of Cloud, westside, flickless, GRUBINHO, and aura after qualifying for Champions as underdogs. FUT Esports remain anchored by MrFaliN, yetujey, and xeus, adding crossali and baha from the Turkish league, while Gentle Mates rebuild around Mini with starxo as IGL, Martin, Bippo, and Glyph.
Is Team Vitality a favorite for Masters?
Yes. On paper, Vitality’s mix of Derke, Chronicle, Jamppi, PROFEK, and Sayonara gives them one of the strongest talent stacks in EMEA.
