LoL - EMEA Masters: Karmine Corp Blue win fifth title and qualify for the 2026 LEC Winter Split

In front of their home crowd at the Dôme de Paris, Karmine Corp Blue has just won the EMEA Masters Summer Split by crushing Los Heretics 3–0. This marks the organization’s fifth title in as many finals since joining the Tier 1 ERL in 2021 (Spring and Summer 2021, Spring 2022, Summer 2023, and Summer 2025). It is also their first European title under the name "Karmine Corp Blue," since the organization acquired its LEC slot in 2024.

It’s the first EMEA Masters title for Thomas "3XA" Foucou, a trophy he’s been chasing since his early years in the LFL with LDLC OL. It’s also the first for Johnny "Yukino" Dang, Seo "SlowQ" Ye-bit, Kim "Piero" Jung-hun, and Volodymyr "Maynter" Sorokin, who likewise had never claimed a European title.

This win closes another year of unprecedented dominance. Double champions in the LFL, unfortunate finalists in Spring, they now seize the European crown that caps off a season of success. And to top it off, they crushed Los Ratones—back-to-back champions earlier this year and their fiercest rivals—in a lightning-fast semifinal, one of the quickest series in the competition’s history.

The final wasn’t all that different. Though Los Heretics showed a stronger fight, they only truly threatened in Game 1, when KCB managed to turn things around thanks to an audacious Baron Nashor call—a move reminiscent of T1, well-known masters of that type of play. The following game was far more one-sided, with a relentlessly forward playstyle — one they would deploy again in Game 3 around Yukino’s Pantheon, perhaps the closest game of the series, which quickly turned into a bloodbath.

Now comes a time for celebration and rest. With the roster and staff having officially wrapped up their 2025 season and the offseason already underway, all eyes are turning toward Winter 2026. Recall that the LEC will change its format next year, inviting two ERL teams for its first split starting in January: Los Ratones and Karmine Corp Blue, the best performing teams in ERL this year and the EMEA Masters Summer champions.

As a reminder, Riot Games requires invited ERL teams to retain at least three of their five players from the Summer 2025 roster, with certain exceptions if the team’s players are picked up by an LEC organization or in other special cases decided individually. Since KC Blue has already secured three new players—midlaner Kamil “Kamiloo” Haudegond, promoted ADC Costin “Hazel” Pestrițu, and support Olivier “Prime” Payet—it seems likely they will qualify for one of those exceptions. There’s also no certainty yet whether Maynter or Yukino will remain part of the 2026 roster competing in the LEC.