Fnatic issues, dual EMEA stage, and Masters London rosters: VALORANT’s full week

Despite the lack of VCT initiative, i THE VALORANT The esports scene has seen a lot of shake-up and heated discussion in the past week.

From Fnaticcoaching changes to the most anticipated Masters London teams, here’s a list of everything you might have missed!

Fnatic, one of the most successful organizations in VALORANT history, made some big changes to their coaching staff last week. After the controversial firing of the former Head Coach Milan “Milan” de Meij two weeks ago, Fnatic announced Andrey “Engh” Sholokhov as a replacement for Milan.

Engh previously spent nearly three years at Karmine Corp before stepping down amid disappointing year-on-year results. He joins his new organization in a time of chaos. Fnatic, who finished second at Masters Toronto and Champions Paris last year, just failed to win his second VCT event of 2026.

This unusual regional performance has also led to increased pressure – even abuse – from Fnatic “fans”. Animosity flared following the team’s elimination from the Esports World Cup (EWC) EMEA Qualifier, prompting Fnatic representatives and members of the public to speak out.

“That result is very sad, but I’ve never seen such a disgusting comment under a game stream in my life. PLEASE behave, man,” stressed Fnatic’s Chief Public Affairs Officer, David “Davard” E.

Not only is online venom inappropriate, but it’s important to remember that Fnatic has been competing against a substitute player. Clément “CyvOph” Millard from the Stage 1 Playoffs. With Sylvain “Veqaj” Pattyn to return to the active roster, the team can use eight weeks to Stage 2 to get back on track.

Regarding Engh’s new role in the team, the coach shared in the announcement video that he still has ideas for what Fnatic can improve on. He also highlighted that he intends to support the leader of this list of players Jake “Boaster” Howlett without disrupting the schedule that IGL has created for Fnatic.

The DACH VALORANT community was hit with some sad news last week. PROJECT V has announced the end of its four-year sponsorship of the VALORANT regional tournament.

“After deep discussions and many discussions, we have made the difficult decision not to continue with any division under PROJECT V from 2027 onwards,” explained the organization in its official statement.

“The upcoming changes affecting the ecosystem of the future undoubtedly open up new opportunities for new ideas and concepts in the scene. However, we have come to the conclusion that we no longer see our place in this new chapter.”

PROJECT V was responsible for the DACH sub-region within VALORANT’s EMEA Challengers ecosystem. Each division has qualified its top teams for the Challengers EMEA tournament. In addition, the organization hosts integrated Tier 3 events and a DACH-focused tournament series for women and gender minorities, called Equal Esports Queens.

Throughout its tenure as tournament organizer, PROJECT V has grown to become an integral part of the VALORANT esports scene in EMEA, providing career opportunities for both players and emerging broadcast talent. After this announcement, many members of the community came forward, sharing fond memories and expressing gratitude for the work of PROJECT V.

“Without PROJECT V there would be no Akamask in international broadcasting. The Dach scene has been my home for the past 3 years, and I am grateful for everything,” commented VALORANT on air talent. Patrick “Akamask” Decker.

German viewer and producer Timon “Timon” Praast post: “This concludes the chapter that started my sports journey. I would like to thank everyone I met along the way of PROJECT V. The time they shared and helped me grow as a person. Thank you for everything, PROJECT V.”

With the sunset of the PROJECT V tournaments, all previously announced events have also been cancelled. However, POKAL 2026 will still be held as the “final collective chapter” in this era of DACH VALORANT esports.

Another major shakeup for VALORANT esports EMEA was unveiled by Riot Games last week. And it didn’t achieve the public resonance that Riot desired.

Starting with VCT EMEA Stage 2, the Riot Games Arena in Berlin will switch to a two-stage broadcast setup for its VCT and LEC products. Previously, both circuits shared the same stage, meaning there were no VCT weekend games.

The new system allows Riot to broadcast both leagues simultaneously. VCT EMEA will get weekend games, but it comes at a higher price. Stage 2 will run on the “Studio Stage” broadcast only until the Playoffs. That means no live audience except for one week of Playoffs and Finals in Barcelona.

“If you want to grow an esport, you have to invest in it, right? I don’t understand how you can simultaneously say that a live audience is a huge part of the experience while you’re REALLY REMOVING US ???!,” replied the VALORANT caster. YuLi under Riot’s announcement.

Understandably, this news has left many members of the public and professionals concerned about the sustainability of the VALORANT esports ecosystem outside of regions such as the Pacific and China. In particular, Western VCT viewership is declining, and live crowds contribute greatly to the atmosphere and attraction of LAN tournaments.

VCT veteran Patryk “starxo” Kopczyński also pointed out how placing the same priority on streaming alone could have an impact on player motivation: “Making international games in VALORANT is already a very difficult challenge with very small territories per region compared to other games.

“The reason why so many of us young kids chase the dream of becoming top players is because of being able to feel the connection with fans from all over the world, to feel the adrenaline of playing on big stages with thousands of people watching. In VALORANT, there was a limit from the beginning, and it doesn’t look like things are getting any better anytime soon.”

In my opinion, missing out on a live crowd for most of the games will certainly make watching during Phase 2 feel empty, even for the most dedicated fans. With major ecosystem changes on the horizon next year, we can only hope that Riot continues to listen and incorporate community feedback before that community shrinks even further.

The last VCT regional match before Masters London was the VCT Americas Stage 1 Grand Final between Leviatán no. G2 Sports. Despite dropping out of the Lower Playoffs Bracket and a double map ban, G2 Esports defeated their American rival 3-2 and are now back at the top of their region.

With the team securing their fourth VCT Americas trophy, it’s time to ask the same old question: Can G2 Esports repeat their regional dominance and finally claim their first international title? After all, G2 Esports failed to reach these elusive global VCT heights throughout 2025 – the same year the organization achieved back-to-back VCT Americas trophy lifts.

The team never underperformed significantly in the VCT world events, but kept breaking down just before the line. This problem was intended to be fixed by permanently signing the Andrej “babybay” Francisty before the ongoing season. He took on the role of the roster’s hypeman and emotional anchor.

But after another Playoffs elimination at Masters Santiago, the first international VCT event of the year, the skeptics are once again asking if G2 Esports has a chance to break free on the global VCT stage.

Regardless of the mental pressure this program may be under, I believe G2 Esports is not doing very well right now. It can outperform its regional rivals, for sure. However, the recent Grand Final against Leviatán also revealed about weaknesses in the team’s map area, especially in Breeze.

In addition, other star players of the list, including Nathan “leaf” Orfthey never showed their best performance during Phase 1. Although Phoenix dominated in all the VCT regions, the leaf could not reach the same statistics as other top players of Phoenix.

My prediction is that G2 Esports is likely to finish in the top four at Masters London.

So, if G2 Esports isn’t the top contender for the Masters London trophy, which team is? The answer is obvious Paper Rex. After a rollercoaster start to the season, the team recently completed a three-game Lower Bracket winning streak to wipe out FULL SENSE 3-0 in the VCT Pacific Stage 1 Grand Final.

In the same process, Paper Rex also 3-0ed Global Esports, the organization that had sent Paper Rex to the Lower Bracket in the Upper Bracket Semifinals.

If you’re getting deja-vu, that’s because Paper Rex pulled off a similar Lower Bracket Run during last year’s Stage 1 competition. And that was before the Southeast Asian organization lifted its first ever international trophy at the Toronto Masters.

Now, you might say I’m just biased, which is true. However, even from a logical perspective, the stars are clearly aligned with Paper Rex. The team has an excellent map, their players are in top form, and they are leading the way with the currently winning agent: Phoenix. In addition, Paper Rex will likely benefit from the upcoming Neon nerfs, as its players have never warmed to the agent during its debut.

Wrapping it up with the words of VALORANT’s casting talent Josh “Sideshow” Wilkinson from the latest episode of Plat Chat: “We really have to put Paper Rex almost at their level, right? If we all say they’re the favorite, and we have different answers for number two, shouldn’t we put S themselves almost? It’s like a category gap between Paper Rex and number two.”