EU > NA, Vatigoat, Paris is Magic… 5 Takeaways from the Major

This Sunday marked the conclusion of the Rocket League Paris Major. Karmine Corp secured their third Major title by defeating Twisted Minds in the grand final with a decisive 4–1 scoreline. In the aftermath of the event, Sheep Esports looks back at five key takeaways from the largest RLCS gathering in history.

Boston had already hinted at it, Paris has now confirmed it: Europe is once again the strongest region in Rocket League. Beaten in the two previous S-Tier events of the RLCS 2025 circuit — the Raleigh Major and the Worlds in Lyon — European teams placed three representatives in the top six at the first Major of the year, with Gentle Mates taking the title. In Paris, the region went even further, occupying four of the top six positions, with the most prestigious going to KC.

Except Ninjas in Pyjamas, who completely missed their tournament, it was a near-flawless showing for Europe. The other European teams all finished first in their respective groups — aside from Group A, which featured two EU squads, where Team Vitality finished second behind Karmine Corp. Manchester City Esports even managed a statement win against reigning world champions NRG. The only cracks appeared in the playoffs: City fell to Shopify Rebellion, and Gentle Mates never truly found their footing against Twisted Minds. Symbolically, the most contested and explosive series of the event was the KC–Vitality semi-final, ending in a 4–3 thriller under immense pressure.

It had been billed as the biggest Rocket League event in RLCS history, and the Paris Major lived up to expectations. Beyond a polished production, the narrative itself elevated the event, with the three home organizations — Gentle Mates, Vitality, and Karmine Corp — all featuring on the Final Day. The roughly 20,000 fans present at La Défense Arena witnessed intense battles both in-game and in the stands. “It was by far the best competition I’ve ever played in my career,” wrote Evan "M0nkey M00n" Rogez on X, despite losing in the final. The event also peaked at 493K viewers during the KC–Vitality semi-final, according to Esports Charts, making it the second-highest peak in the game’s history.

Several figures from the scene have since called for Epic Games to return to the French capital. “What a Major, we need a Paris LAN every year,” said Jack “ApparentlyJack” Benton shortly after the event concluded. “French LAN every year, non-negotiable @RLEsports what an event,” added content creator Garrett “GarrettG” Gordon. While it is still too early to project another Major in the City of Light, the RL scene will indeed return to Paris for the Esports World Cup from August 12 to 16.

As the years go by, Axel “Vatira” Touret continues to further cement his place in Rocket League history. This Sunday, the Karmine Corp prodigy lifted his fourth Major trophy — his third with the Blue Wall, having opened his account under Moist Esports. Particularly influential against both Vitality and Twisted Minds, Vatira was unsurprisingly named MVP of the tournament. Largely driven by fans of the organization, the debate now emerges: where does Vatira stand in the hierarchy of the greatest players the game has ever seen? As mentioned by Rocket League Esports, Vatira now leads seven categories of all-time LAN stats: Games played, Goals, Assists, OT goals, Score, Saves, and Shots.

The main obstacle for the French player remains his lack of success at the game’s most prestigious event, the Worlds. Before him, others have built more decorated résumés on that stage. His compatriots Alexandre “Kaydop” Courant and M0nkey M00n have both been crowned world champions three and two times respectively. He also still has to surpass Pierre “Turbopolsa” Silfver, the only four-time RLCS champion from the previous decade. Undeniably one of the defining figures of the modern era, “Vatigoat” may not yet be the greatest of all time in absolute terms — but at just 20 years old, he still has time to change that.

As always, storylines were abundant heading into this Major. Could Gentle Mates achieve the first-ever back-to-back Major victory? Would NRG once again silence the French crowd after their triumph in Lyon? Would Jason "Firstkiller" Corral finally secure his first major title after two final losses? In the end, the grand final between Karmine Corp and Twisted Minds crystallised a different narrative: two former teammates now separated by time and circumstance, M0nkey M00n on the Saudi side and Alexandre “Extra” Paoli as KC’s coach.

Together, before Extra transitioned into coaching, they formed the core of Team BDS and defined one of the organization’s golden eras. As early as 2020 — a season disrupted globally by the COVID-19 pandemic — Extra and “MM” dominated the European scene. They later confirmed their status by winning both the Major and the Worlds in the 2021–2022 season. The former teammates thus met for the first time in an international final since their split. This time, fortune leaned toward KC’s coach. But for the span of a single best-of series, the spirit of BDS — now absent from the ecosystem — briefly resurfaced.

If Europe shone, North America largely missed the mark in Paris. Entering as reigning world champions following their Lyon victory last September, NRG were swept 0–3 by Manchester City in the group stage before being eliminated in the first round of playoffs in a surprise 2–4 loss to FURIA. With the region’s main contender already out, NA had to rely on overperformance from its other seeds.

FUT Esports impressed in groups, pushing both KC and Vitality to narrow 2–3 defeats, but Justin "jstn." Morales and his teammates failed to make an impact against eventual finalists Twisted Minds, exiting in the first playoff round as well. In reality, the pride of the region came from Shopify Rebellion. Winners of Group C, the Rebels reached the final four after defeating Manchester City in the upper bracket — securing NA’s only win over EU in the entire tournament. Yet, like FUT before them, Shopify ultimately fell to Twisted Minds and stopped in the quarter-finals. Absent from both Major finals this year, the region will need to regroup if it hopes to defend its global crown on home soil.