Sources - VALORANT: Zyppan and KovaQ set to join CGN Esports

According to sources close to Sheep Esports, Blendi "KovaQ" Kovaci and Pontus "Zyppan" Eek have reached a verbal agreement with CGN Esports for the upcoming 2026 VALORANT season. In 2025, KovaQ mainly distinguished himself under the Team Vitality banner, which he joined ahead of VCT 2025: EMEA Stage 2 to form part of the starting five. The Swiss-Albanian player contested the entirety of the group stage with Vitality, delivering several series in which he stood out individually, before being allowed to explore his options for the 2026 season towards the end of the year.

Already a former player for FunPlus Phoenix and Natus Vincere at the highest level of VCT, Zyppan comes off a 2025 season split between VCT EMEA and offseason tournaments. The Swedish player joined Gentle Mates for the 2025 VCT season, with whom he played Kickoff, Stage 1 and the Esports World Cup EMEA Qualifier, finishing 7th/8th at Kickoff, 11th/12th in Stage 1 and top 6 in the EWC qualifier.

The EWC qualifier would be Zyppan’s last event with the team, as Gentle Mates later announced his departure. He then spent the end of the year with BRATAN MIX, notably taking part in multiple phases of Project Blender 2025 up to Phase 4. He therefore approaches the 2026 offseason with significant tier-one experience and a full year shared between a partnered league and various mixed EMEA projects.

For CGN Esports, these two potential signings would come on top of a core already secured on a long-term basis. As previously reported by Sheep Esports, the German organisation has reached an agreement to extend Vincent "Vince" Kranz and Berkant "Wolfen" Joshkun until the end of 2027, with Vince expected to assume full in-game leading duties and Wolfen to serve as team captain.

Both are set to remain at the heart of the main five in VALORANT Challengers DACH: Evolution and on the wider EMEA circuit, with the objective of rebuilding the project around this duo. With the addition of two experienced players who have already competed at the highest level of VALORANT, CGN would secure a solid spine for 2026. In this context, bringing in KovaQ, fresh off a VCT EMEA season would shape a 2026 roster built around a Vince/Wolfen core complemented by two profiles already accustomed to tier-one standards, with the ambition of turning CGN’s regional consistency into more substantial results on the EMEA stage.