Barely had Stage 1 of the VCT EMEA concluded when Stage 2 of the competition began to take shape. On Sunday, just minutes after Fnatic’s triumph over Team Heretics, the two groups for the second split of the season were drawn. Group Alpha will consist of Heretics, BBL Esports, FUT Esports, Team Vitality, GIANTX, and Gentle Mates. The remaining six teams — Team Liquid, Fnatic, Natus Vincere, Karmine Corp, KOI, and Apeks — will make up Group Omega. In total, six teams have been reassigned to a different group compared to Stage 1, based on their results in the group stage of the first split.

Indeed, the draw mechanism was somewhat unconventional. Six balls were distributed into three pools: “seeds 1 & 2” in Pool 1, “seeds 3 & 4” in Pool 2, and “seeds 5 & 6” in Pool 3. Only the first ball drawn from each pool had an impact, as the selected seed determined which teams would switch groups. For instance, in Pool 1, the ball labeled “seed 2” was drawn. As a result, Fnatic and BBL Esports, who had finished second in Group Alpha and Group Omega, respectively in Stage 1, swapped places. The same applied to seeds 3 (NAVI and FUT) and seeds 6 (Apeks and Gentle Mates).

Two Spots for Champions

The Stage 2 format will closely mirror that of Stage 1, featuring a group stage played in a single round-robin format with best-of-three matches. The top four teams from each group will advance to the playoffs: the first-place teams will proceed directly to the Upper Bracket Semifinals, the second and third seeds will begin in Round 1 of the Upper Bracket, while the fourth seeds will enter the Lower Bracket. All playoff matches will be played in a BO3 format, except for the Lower Bracket Final and Grand Final, which will be BO5. The two finalists of Stage 2 will qualify directly for Champions.

The second split of the season will commence following the conclusion of the Masters Toronto and the VALORANT tournament at the Esports World Cup. Fnatic and Heretics are guaranteed to participate in both events, while Team Liquid will join the Stage 1 finalists in Toronto. Two slots remain available for the EWC, with six teams still in contention: Liquid, BBL, Karmine Corp, FUT, NAVI, and Gentle Mates.