“I will not be afraid”: BBL Lar0k in his world debut at VALORANT Masters Santiago

Yusuf’Lar0k‘ Kanber is one of many rookies set to compete VALORANT Masters Santiagothe first global VCT event of the year.

Lar0k and the rest of the BBL Esports rookie roster delivered a flawless run at the VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026 qualifying for their first ever international competition as the region’s top seed.

“My confidence comes from my game,” The Turkish player told Esports Insider during the pre-event press conference.

“I think I’m playing very well, and this doesn’t come from a place of ego. I can say that I’m a good player and I’m really confident. So the regional performance you’ve seen will continue on this stage.”

Lar0k started his VALORANT esports journey in 2022, competing in various tournaments in Turkey.

Two years later, the 18-year-old joined Pacific Esports to play in the Turkish Challenger circuit. He finally lifted the VCT EMEA 2025 Ascension trophy as part of BBL PCIFIC, the Affiliate Partnership team of PCIFIC Esports and VCT’s partner organization BBL Esports.

The entire roster was later signed by the BBL to compete under its banner.

In its first year in VCT EMEA, the full PCIFIC roster remained together despite offers from other partner teams in the league.

This loyalty paid off, as the newly ascended roster was on a tear at the VCT Kickoff. Bringing undeniable confidence and high energy to the VCT EMEA stage, BBL Esports took down regional giants Fnatic and Team Vitality, as well as dark horse rivals Gentle Mates, en route to VALORANT Masters Santiago.

When asked if attending his first world event might affect his confidence, Lar0k replied:

“I will not panic. I will show the way I played in the regions here in this international competition.”

Lar0k also explained why he believes so much in his team: “I know we look like five rookies, but we’re actually not like five rookies. Because we proved ourselves in our trip here. We beat everyone, that’s why we’re here.”

The duelist continued: “And since we are here, we are still very good, we are still confident, and we will beat everyone. So our confidence is very high.”

BBL Esports (IGL) game leader, Eren’Rose‘ Erzan, agreed with his teammate.

“It is not important for us, as being the best player in this tournament, to be honest. Because we know our strength, our strength in the game,” insisted Rosé during a press conference.

“And we just believe in each other, we know how we are a family […] like in game and out of VALORANT too. It won’t change anything about our style of play and confidence in the game, like what people think about us. I just believe in my teammates, like my brothers, like everyone in the team.”

BBL Esports isn’t the only top player team at VALORANT Masters Santiago. VCT’s first global event of 2026 stands out as a collection of dark horses, underdogs and inexperienced rosters clashing with some of the biggest names in the scene.

This includes some unexpected early seeds, FURIAwhich won the VCT Americas Kickoff despite losing 12 of 13 games last year. For its actor GianFranco’the koalanoob‘ Potestio, Masters Santiago will be his first international competition.

“It means a lot. Like, I love this team,” Shared by koalanoob. “We will keep this underdog mentality that we had. But I have complete trust in my whole team, especially artzin as my IGL. I feel like if I trust whatever he says, we will be fine.”

koalanoob added: “We will continue to work hard, and it’s amazing that people feel something by seeing my feelings. I want to inspire people to believe that they can achieve anything they dream of.”

China’s first VCT seed, All Gamershe shares a similar story, having never qualified for a VCT global competition before Masters Santiago. As the longest serving member of the active multiplayer roster, Huang’K1ra‘ Zhihao endured the team’s struggles last year before getting a reprieve at the recent VCT Kickoff event.

“When I look back at that kind of time, I think it’s too bad for me, but if it is, I’ll have a higher standard for myself. And I just ask myself to try my best, try harder and do better on stage,” he revealed the IGL.

“For Santiago, I think the main goal is to not be afraid and show our skills, show what we can do at world events and learn completely from other teams, learn from other regions,” concluded K1ra.

Masters Santiago will take place from February 28 to March 15. Fans can follow the action through VCT’s official Twitch and YouTube streams.