The VCT EMEA Stage 2 Play-Ins begin on Thursday, bringing together the Valorant Challengers League and VCT teams in an unprecedented format.
The Play-Ins can be seen as a preview of sorts for what the Valorant Champions Tour will look like in 2027, when the franchised era ends and the open circuit begins for Valorant esports.
Therefore, the tournament will be of special interest to those looking to see whether Tier 1 is truly that far ahead of Tier 2, or whether the 2027 VCT shakeup could see the rise of all-new teams and stars, and the collapse of others.
VCT EMEA Stage 2 Play-Ins teams
As Group Stage toppers, BBL and Karmine Corp have already secured their place in the Upper Bracket Semi-Finals of the Playoffs, with group runners-up Liquid and Vitality on opposite ends of Upper Bracket Round 1.
Therefore, we have in total eight of the 12 VCT teams in the Play-Ins, in a fight to the death for the as-yet undecided four EMEA spots at Valorant Champions Shanghai. They are:
- GIANTX
- NAVI
- PCIFIC
- FNATIC
- FUT
- Eternal Fire
- Team Heretics
- Gentle Mates
For NAVI, GIANTX, and PCIFIC, that pathway will have to be the longest possible road to Champions; starting from Round 1 of Play-Ins, it will have to end with a top two placing in the split as they cannot make Champs through VCT EMEA Points.
For the rest, it’s still possible to get wins and progress without a top two placement, with Vitality, FUT, Heretics, and BBL currently sitting in the top four of the points before Play-Ins begin.
Joining the VCT teams are the three top teams of Challengers EMEA Stage 3: Enterprise, Fire Flux, and Joblife. Eintract Frankfurt take the last spot, as the winner of the LCQ to make the play-ins.
The VCT EMEA Play-Ins bracket is:
VCT EMEA Stage 2 Play-Ins Round 1:
- GIANTX vs Eintract Frankfurt
- NAVI vs Joblife
- PCIFIC vs Fire Flux
- Fnatic vs Enterprise
Round 2:
- FUT vs GIANTX/Eintract Frankfurt Winner
- Eternal Fire vs NAVI/Joblife Winner
- Team Heretics vs PCIFIC/Fire Flux Winner
- Gentle Mates vs Fnatic/Enterprise Winner
Only two teams will make it out of the Play-Ins in the single-elimination Bo3 format. FUT and Team Heretics are the favorites of their respective sides of the bracket after narrowly missing out on the Playoffs themselves.
For the teams starting in Round 1, there will be a mix of motivation to turn the season around and trepidation as humiliation against Challenger rosters beckons as a harrowing possibility.
A loss here would be most painful for Fnatic, whose season has collapsed in Stage 2. The organization is facing its first year without an international tournament, falling into the Play-Ins after a 0-13 humiliation in their final group match against Heretics.
A rematch against the same opposition will be inevitable if they do not slip up against Enterprise, but as Challengers Stage 3 winners, Fnatic may be in for a few surprises.
On the other hand, Enterprise will know what to expect against a Fnatic whose predictable and slow playstyle was picked apart against Heretics, leaving new coach Andrey ‘Engh’ Sholokhov with plenty to think about.
Can the Challengers rosters cause a few upsets in the Play-Ins? Let us know what you think on the Insider Gaming Discord
For other news, see the Esports Nations Cup Valorant rosters and sign up 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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