keloqz, poeth and Ao join Esprit Shōnen in the Challengers France

Wassim “keloqz” Cista, Mathis “poeth” Feriaut, and Simon “Ao” Latinus join Esprit Shōnen for the remainder of the VALORANT Challengers France season, announced the team on Tuesday. At the same time, Elric “juseu” Belland, Baptiste “Yohpa” Khoury, and Michael “mikee” Lim are departing.

Among the three, keloqz naturally stands out as the most notable name. A former VCT EMEA member, the French player is coming off a 2025 season under the Mandatory banner, during which he helped the team secure (another) second-place finish in France Stage 3. He then competed in EMEA Stage 3 and later in Ascension. Mandatory ultimately finished in the top four of the promotion tournament but missed the qualification for the Tier 1.

poeth and Ao bring different profiles, but they are far from unknown figures within the French ecosystem. In 2025, poeth played for several teams, including Caldya Esport and F9 EICAR, while also winning HopLan 2025 with Million Flowerz. Ao, meanwhile, spent a significant part of the year with Hide On Bush, with whom he competed in VCL France Stage 3, before later appearing for Nuxeria during the Up and Down.

This rebuild comes after a difficult start to the year for Esprit Shōnen. At the beginning of the 2026 season, the team fielded a promising roster, but it never truly managed to find its footing, ultimately ending Stage 1 with a record of two wins and five losses. In that context, roster changes appeared almost inevitable. With the arrivals of keloqz, poeth, and Ao, Esprit Shōnen now appear intent on rebuilding on a more solid foundation, with a lineup that seems more balanced on paper

keloqz brings meaningful experience, while poeth and Ao arrive with a strong understanding of the French scene and an adjustment period that should, in theory, remain limited. It now remains to be seen whether these changes will be enough to establish Esprit Shōnen as a genuine contender in the next split.