Team Heretics’ reign as Esports World Cup champions is over after their surprising elimination at the hands of BBL Esports’ hard-hitting young guns.
The Turkish roster came back from a map down to eliminate the EMEA Stage 1 champions in Paris.
Team Heretics make strong start
Team Heretics started the far stronger side on the BBL pick of Breeze, as Mert ‘WoOt’ Alkan took control of the map with snappy sniping.
After delivering an 18/9/6 KDA, Team Heretics were well on their way to map victory after an 8-4 half.
Their momentum was, however, abruptly halted during their own Attack side, as Ali ‘Crewen’ Eren Sargin’s bright performance on the map was finally supported by his teammates joining in the fragging.
As overtime came, the map became a contest of chaos, with Team Heretics eventually moulding the contest to their will in double overtime, prevailing 16-14.
BBL hit back to eliminate defending champions
Team Heretics must have moved onto their own pick of Lotus, sure in the thought that they had wrestled the series in their favor, with their own map pick looming.
However, that thought was quickly dismissed as BBL showed their explosive best and hyper-aggressive playstyle to blow TH away 10-2 in the first half.
Yusuf ‘Lar0k’ Kaan Kanber burst into life with a dominating 20/8/2 KDA on Lotus as BBL pulled off three defusals in a row to close the map 13-2.
On the deciding map of Sunset, Heretics stabilized after another bright start by BBL, with Yusuf ‘Riens’ Kaan Kanber dragging his boys to a 7-5 half-time lead.
But when those clutch moments were needed it was a collective effort from the BBL boys that wrestled the map away from Team Heretics, resulting in a 13-10 scoreline and their key being crushed.
Who will take the EWC Valorant crown now? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
To see what to watch, check out our EWC 2026 week-by-week breakdown! And be sure to subscribe to the Insider Gaming newsletter.
Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
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