VALORANT - VCT EMEA: Liquid-BBL advance to upper bracket final, Fnatic and Heretics knocked out

The VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) EMEA Playoffs kicked off on Thursday, August 21st, with eight teams advancing from the group stage. From Group Alpha, the qualified teams were: Team Heretics (1st), GIANTX (2nd), BBL Esports (3rd), and Team Vitality (4th). From Group Omega: Team Liquid (1st), Fnatic (2nd), Natus Vincere (3rd), and Karmine Corp (4th).

Thanks to their accumulated circuit points, Stage 1 winner Fnatic had already locked their spot for Champions 2025. That left the three remaining slots still up for grabs.

The playoffs opened with Fnatic vs. BBL and GIANTX vs. NAVI in the upper bracket, while Heretics and Liquid awaited the winners in Round 2. Meanwhile, Karmine Corp and Vitality lay in wait for the losers in the lower bracket. It was the Turkish squad that pulled off the first shock: BBL defeated Fnatic 2–1, sending the defending champions tumbling into the lower bracket.

While the crowd may have been surprised, Martin "Magnum" Peňkov had already shown confidence in a pre-match interview with Sheep Esports: “Fnatic is a comfort matchup for us. We have a better map pool and we are just better at playing the style they are trying to play.” His words proved prophetic as BBL closed out the series with 13–7 and 13–9 wins, capped off by an impressive Game 3 performance from the Czech player himself.

In the second matchup, GIANTX dropped the opening map but roared back to win 2–1 over NAVI. The victory was fueled by a clean display from their duelist Eduard-George "ara" Hanceriuc, who ended game 2 with a 28/10/3 KDA with a 346 ACS on Neon. With those results, Fnatic dropped down to face Karmine Corp, while NAVI were matched with Vitality in the LB elimination match.

Both French organizations shared the same fate: elimination. Karmine Corp pushed Fnatic to the brink, taking Haven 14–12, but couldn’t close it out, losing 12–14 on Corrode and 8–13 on Bind. Vitality fared worse, falling 0–2 to NAVI, who were led by an inspired Ruxic. As a result, both KCorp and Vitality miss out on Champions, and ended their VCT year.

Those previous results set up the upper bracket clashes of Heretics vs. BBL and Liquid vs. GIANTX. BBL continued their giant-slaying run. After eliminating Fnatic, they dismantled the 2024 Champions finalists Heretics 2-0 with decisive wins: 13–6 on Icebox and 13–11 on Ascent. The Spaniards had no answers, and BBL booked their place in the Upper Final.

In the second series, group order was restored as Team Liquid outlasted GIANTX 2–1, with a Georgio "keiko" Sanassy who, as often this split, was really good. The Dutch organization advanced to the Upper Final, setting up a clash against BBL for a spot in the Grand Final.

Heretics dropped into the lower bracket, where they faced NAVI. But their run ended abruptly after a 0–2 defeat, with heavy losses (3–13 on Icebox, 7–13 on Haven). That result knocked Heretics out of playoff contention and left their Champions dream dependent on other teams’ results.

Meanwhile, GIANTX produced another surprise by sweeping Fnatic 2–0, with back-to-back 13–10 wins on Lotus and Sunset. With this win, they eliminated the only team that had already qualified for the Champions before this match. However, following these results, Team Liquid also qualified thanks to the Championship Points.

Playoffs resume on August 29th with BBL vs. Team Liquid in the upper bracket and GIANTX vs. NAVI in the lower bracket. The two eventual finalists will both secure their Champions tickets. But several other qualification scenarios remain open, especially for Team Heretics since they are now eliminated.