Recently promoted to VCT EMEA, PCIFIC Esports will enter the top European VALORANT league with an entirely new identity. The first piece of this reshaped roster will be its head coach. Kaan "Leader" Taşpınar will take charge of the project, sources tell Sheep Esports.

The Turkish coach, who notably spent time with G2 Gozen, joined the VCT Americas during Stage 2 last season with LOUD. He now returns to Europe to embark on a new chapter, succeeding Mert "KEY" Çelebi.

Rebuilding for a new challenge

On its social media channels a few weeks ago, BBL Esports announced the signing of the five players from the BBL PCIFIC roster as well as head coach KEY, as previously reported by Sheep Esports. The roster—formerly affiliated with the organization’s existing VCT squad—had just secured promotion to the premier EMEA league after defeating DNSTY in Ascension EMEA. Now, PCIFIC Esports faces a complete rebuild of its lineup in preparation for next year’s VCT. While trials are ongoing to assemble a cohesive player group, the project’s foundation is being laid with Leader’s arrival as head coach.

This marks a significant new challenge for Leader, a coach who has accumulated a broad range of experiences since beginning his career in 2022. After starting in VALORANT Challengers Turkey where he won a title with Digital Athletics, he joined G2 Gozen in 2024 for VCT Game Changers EMEA Stage 2. He won the EMEA title twice in two appearances before securing a third-place finish at the Game Changers Championship, where G2 fell—once again this year—to Made in Brazil (MIBR).

This season proved more difficult for him. He parted ways with G2 after Stage 1, where the team placed third following losses to Karmine Corp and GiantX. He then joined LOUD for Stage 2 of VCT Americas, but the Brazilian roster endured a challenging season, winning only a single match and finishing at the bottom of its group. After this brief stint, Leader has now left the team and returned to Europe, where he will attempt to prove that, despite a completely revamped roster, PCIFIC Esports can rightfully earn its place in the VCT.