The curse has finally been broken:
Team Heretics are now at the summit of the EMEA region. For the first time in the organization’s history, the Spanish side has claimed a VCT trophy following one of the most intense finals in recent years against
Team Vitality (3–2). With this victory, Team Heretics officially become the
VCT EMEA Stage 1 2026 champions and will head into
Masters London, set to begin on June 6, as the region’s first seed.
Following a disappointing Kickoff event and a difficult start to Stage 1, few expected Team Heretics to recover with such resilience and completely reverse the momentum of their season. After securing three consecutive victories during the Group Stage, the team managed to clinch a playoff berth before falling to Eternal Fire in the opening round. By fighting their way through the lower bracket and winning five straight matches, including a particularly intense series against Fnatic, Team Heretics finally put an end to the long-standing narrative that had earned them the reputation of being VCT’s perennial runners-up.
A thrilling final
Aside from their triumph at the Esports World Cup 2025, Team Heretics had previously reached five VCT finals without ever managing to lift the trophy. That is no longer the case. After more than five hours of play, during which they twice found themselves trailing in the series, TH secured the decisive victory on Haven in overtime to close out the best-of-five. The win was built upon an exceptional collective performance, as well as a spectacular final map from Mert “Wo0t” Alkan. The Turkish player recorded 96 kills throughout the series, including 27 on Haven alone.
On the opposite side, Team Vitality have little to be ashamed of despite the defeat. Having narrowly qualified for the playoffs, the team displayed an entirely different level once the knockout stage began and finally appeared to showcase the full potential of their roster. Vitality set the tone by winning both Breeze and Pearl, while also pushing their opponents to overtime on two occasions, but it ultimately proved insufficient on this occasion.
With this victory, Team Heretics return to the international stage for the first time since their 5th–6th place finish at VALORANT Champions 2025. Team Vitality, meanwhile, will begin their Masters London campaign in the Swiss Stage, marking their first international appearance since Masters Bangkok 2025.
