Team Vitality has finally done the unthinkable. After losing to Tier 2 teams in VCT EMEA Stage 2 and narrowly qualifying for
VALORANT Champions 2026, the team has gone on to carry the region’s trophy hopes single-handedly. Vitality
eliminated 100 Thieves from the event with a 3-1 victory to set up a Grand Final against LOUD.
The French organisation will face the
young Brazilian roster for the third time at Champions Shanghai and the goal will not only be to take revenge for its previous defeat but also to lift EMEA’s first-ever Champions trophy. Moreover, Timofey "
Chronicle" Khromov will become the first player to win every
VALORANT international event.
For 100 Thieves, meanwhile, this has been the highest finish it has achieved at an international VCT tournament, making it a successful run for the North American organisation. Following the Lower Final, both teams appeared in press conferences to share their thoughts on their respective journeys, Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen knifing Timothée "Timotino" Lavigne Dupont, the possibility of EMEA finally winning a Champions trophy, and more.
Questions For 100 Thieves
Americas teams have generally favoured a more aggressive playstyle at Champions, while EMEA teams have tended to start slower. Did you notice that today and what did you find particularly challenging about Vitality’s approach?
Jordan "vora" Pulwer: “Honestly, we're pretty used to all sorts of playstyles and adapting to them. We started off pretty hot on Split, but things kind of tapered off a little bit. We weren't adapting quickly enough. We already had an idea of how they were going to play, but I think they came out with some pretty good game plans, and we weren't quick enough to adapt. That's kind of the name of the game, and we weren't firing on all cylinders. Fair play to them. They got us good.”
Looking back on your year, how far you've come, and everything you've achieved, what stands out most about your journey, and what does it mean to have made it this far?
Laurynas "Nbs" Kisielius: “As I told the guys after the match, it might be a cliché, but I think the older you get, the more you understand that life is about the journey, not the destination. Obviously, we want to win, and I think we're good enough to do so. That being said, I'm super proud of the year we've had. This 2026 project was kind of a restart mission, right? We had a new coaching staff and a couple of new players coming in from Tier 2. I see it as a successful year, a very successful year, actually. Not winning Champions tells us that there's still room to grow. So, it's onward and upward for next year.”
Timothée "Timotino" Lavigne Dupont: “Starting the year as a rookie and winning a tournament, then winning Stage 2 as well. We won EWC, we won Stage 2, and we finished third at Champions. I always try to look at everything with a positive mindset, and looking back, we had an insane year. We hit our stride towards the end of the year and had a really good chance of winning Champions. So, even though I'm super sad about losing, I'm very happy that I got to experience such a great year with such great people.”
Peter "Asuna" Mazuryk: “I'll just add one small detail. I've been playing the game for six years, and I'd say this has probably been my best year in VALORANT. It feels really good to be able to look back on it that way.”
Looking back at who you were before the year started, you've experienced some crazy ups and downs, along with some really high highs. If you could give your younger self one piece of advice at the beginning of the year, what would it be?
Timotino: “The biggest thing I'd tell myself is that it's okay to make mistakes. I think I was very hard on myself throughout the year. Sean (Sean "sgares" Gares) mentioned earlier that I didn't really doubt myself, but I don't think that's entirely true. Every Tier 2 player is going to have doubts. You're going to wonder whether you belong here, whether you can make it, and whether you can become the best.
You kind of have to shut that voice off and keep going every single day, because the doubt is always going to be there. You just need to prove to yourself every day that you can get better. So, I'd tell myself that it's okay to make mistakes. It's okay to be bad, as long as you keep going and keep improving.”
vora: “For me, it would be about staying consistent with everything like my calling, my routine, my schedule, all of that. I'd also tell myself to stay more positive and bring the energy. I could have been more consistent with my energy and positivity at the beginning of the year. I gradually learned how to do that throughout the year, so if I could tell myself anything at the start, it would be to focus on those things.”
Before you say goodbye to the stage and this press conference, what kind of 100 Thieves team do you hope the audience will remember you as?
Sean "bang" Bezerra: “At multiple points throughout the year, I felt like an international contender capable of winning a title and taking the whole event. Across two events this year, this is the first time in my career that I've felt like I could have won either one, and I ended up winning one of them. For most of my career, I've only felt like I could win one event. I've never really had that special feeling before.
It's not something you necessarily think about while you're playing in a tournament. I'd say I've always had confidence that we were going to win, but I only had that special feeling a few times. It's an interesting feeling to have, and I'm glad I got to experience it twice.”
Asuna: “I'd say I want us to be remembered as the best North American team of 2026, the best of them all.”
Questions For Team Vitality
Ștefan "Sayonara" Mîtcu, we saw you getting very emotional after the game. Was there a particular reason for those emotions, or was it just the moment?
Dawid "PROFEK" Święć: “He was happy for me. He cried because I made it to the Grand Final.”
Ștefan "Sayonara" Mîtcu: “That is true. I also felt really relieved. I was very worried after the first map. I don't know what got into me, but I genuinely thought it might be f**king over. I was sitting there, not knowing what to say. Then the second map started, and I thought, ‘It can't get any worse. We're down 13-4, so we might as well play.’
You played four different agents across those maps, which is a huge test for everyone. How did you manage to maintain your competitive form during this high-intensity match?
Sayonara: The Initiator maps are easy because I don't need to think that much. I just trust myself. To be honest, I don't know what got into me on Lotus. If you watch the voice comms, you'll see that I don't know what got into me. I just wanted to have fun. I wanted to swing everywhere, and I wasn't listening to Jamppi (Elias Olkkonen) at all. I was just wide-swinging. Split was a tough map, but I think Viper has always been a good agent for me, so it wasn't that difficult. Switching between very different playstyles across maps can sometimes be annoying, but it only takes a couple of rounds to adapt. It's not as hard as it looks.”
What's the difference between the Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov who played with Gambit against Acend in 2021 and the Chronicle who's going to face LOUD in the Grand Final tomorrow?
Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov: “There's a lot of difference. Obviously, back then, it was my first time playing at the most important tournament in the game. It was the first Champions, so there were a lot of emotions and a lot of hard feelings after the loss. Right now, honestly, I don't feel much. I'm not particularly stressed about tomorrow's match. Whatever happens, I'll just try to enjoy it as much as possible.
That's something we were lacking yesterday against LOUD, but we managed to bring it back today against 100 Thieves, and it worked out. I think we're back on the right path. Honestly, we'll see what happens. Maybe this will be the one, maybe it won't. But as I see it right now, there's no reason to put too much pressure on myself to get another chance, whether it's my fourth, fifth, or sixth. Whatever it takes, maybe I'll win at some point, but I honestly don't care.”
How does it feel to be even closer to finally achieving for EMEA? And do you have any words for the EMEA fans back home who are rooting for you to get it done?
Gregor "PAL" Morton: “Look, it obviously feels fantastic. I wouldn't say it adds any pressure for us. We know that narrative is there, but it's a point of pride for those of us who care about it. It's not something everyone is necessarily bothered about. I think it's great that we get to show the region is capable of much more than many people have given us credit for. I know there are going to be a lot of fans who are desperate to see a trophy come home after three years without one.
I think a lot of people would be very excited, and perhaps surprised, to see us get this far. It's not bad for an academy team to make it this far. But look at the guys we have here. We've got the experience, the skill, and the talent. If you're watching at 7, 8, or 9 a.m. tomorrow morning, these are the boys to get behind, because tomorrow could be a very special day for EMEA.”
From knifing Timothée "Timotino" Lavigne Dupont today to saying you were going to try to get another knife kill before the map ended, what was the reasoning behind it? We saw Pal shaking his head.
Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen: “I'll explain a little bit. I had a really bad start, so I was trying to figure out how to get myself back into the game. And a knife kill was the answer. So, guys, if you ever see me playing badly or not feeling it, just try to set up a knife kill for me. No, but it was just something fun to lift the mood a little bit and make things feel less serious. I think it might have worked. It helped keep the mood light, and we could just play the game.
How do you think LOUD’s double map ban will affect you tomorrow? In comparison to last match, what do you need to do differently to beat them this time?
Jamppi: I think the double map ban is obviously an advantage for them, but we can also use it to our advantage by not overthinking things. We'll just play what we're supposed to play. It might also put a little more pressure on them because they can decide which maps we don't play. Most likely, we're going to play Sunset tomorrow, so we haven't prepared for it at all. We have a 100% win rate on Sunset, so we're just going to pick whichever agents we feel like playing. As for what we need to do better, I think we definitely need to stop giving them so much space. They're very good individually, and they'll come out and shoot us if we let them. We need to be ready for that. They're also a very confident team, so I hope we'll be just as confident tomorrow.
How do you look back on your transition as a leader from BBL to Vitality and the journey that brought you to this moment?
Jamppi: It's been a long journey. Thankfully, I've had Mr. PAL (Gregor Morton) here, who taught me a lot, especially at the beginning. I had no clue what I was doing, basically. In my previous teams, I would just do my job, but once you become an IGL, you have a lot more responsibilities as a leader. This year, the expectations were a little different because I knew what we were capable of.
With BBL, there weren't really any expectations because I didn't know anybody. Sorry, Dawid (Dawid Święć)! I've grown a lot as a person, and thankfully, I've had some really nice people around me. I've had a lot of great people supporting me, and it's been a pleasure working with them. They've helped me grow a lot, which makes the whole process much easier.”
