The VCT Ascension EMEA 2025 will take place from October 19 to 26, on LAN, at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin. This tournament will bring together eight teams from the various national leagues across the
EMEA region and will determine which two squads will earn a spot in the VCT EMEA for the 2026 season.
Throughout the year, dozens of teams compete across six regional leagues, divided according to countries and areas within the EMEA zone. Beyond their domestic leagues, these teams also meet three times per season during the Challengers events. These tournaments feature the top two teams from each league—except for VCL NORTH//EAST, which sends four—and give them the opportunity to fight for crucial
Ascension Points in hopes of qualifying for the end-of-season Ascension tournament.
Following the relegation of
Apeks, the 2024 Ascension champions, and
Gentle Mates, winners of the inaugural edition in 2023, two spots have now opened up in the VCT EMEA. These will be up for grabs by the six teams competing in this year’s Ascension event.
Qualified Teams for VCT Ascension EMEA 2025
Winner of Challengers EMEA Split 3 still TBD, but the Top 8 is locked
- BBL PCIFIC (Ascension Points)
- Enterprise Esports (Ascension Points)
- Twisted Minds (Ascension Points)
- Team RA'AD (Ascension Points)
- MANDATORY (Ascension Points)
- FOKUS (Ascension Points)
- ULF Esports (Ascension Points)
- DNSTY (Ascension Points)
How to Qualify for Ascension tournament
To qualify for the tournament, there were three possible paths. For Apeks and Gentle Mates—who had secured a slot through their previous Ascension victories—both clubs had the chance to defend their place among the elite, provided they performed well during the season. However, after finishing last and second-to-last overall in the 2025 season, both organizations were automatically relegated to
VALORANT Challengers Leagues, failing to meet Riot Games’ competitive standards. As a result, all six teams participating in this year’s Ascension will come from the Challengers circuit.
For these squads, the road to Ascension requires either winning the Stage 3 EMEA tournament or finishing among the top five teams in the overall points standings. These points are awarded to the rosters based on their performances across the three different splits within their respective national or regional leagues, as well as on the results they achieve during the three EMEA Challengers tournaments throughout the season.
Ascension EMEA teams
BBL PCIFIC (Challengers Türkiye)
The all-Turkish roster of PCIFIC Esports has been the standout team in Europe this year, winning nearly everything in their path. Affiliated with BBL, a VCT EMEA participant, the organization claimed first place in both the Türkiye Kickoff and Stage 1 events, defeating Eternal Fire and ULF Esports respectively. These two victories allowed PCIFIC to qualify for two EMEA Challengers tournaments. They went on to win the first Challengers of the season in dominant fashion, once again overpowering their compatriots from Eternal Fire—whom they had already beaten at the Kickoff.
In the following regional Challengers event, BBL PCIFIC reached the grand final once again but narrowly lost to Enterprise Esports. Thanks to their early-season successes, the Turkish squad secured their spot at the VCT Ascension tournament as early as the beginning of August.
Enterprise Esports (Challengers NORTH//EAST)
Enterprise Esports, the team that edged out PCIFIC in the EMEA Challengers Stage 2 final, had already made a name for themselves by winning the NORTH//EAST league before advancing to the regional tournament. Their strong form was evident early on, with a top-three finish in the Kickoff—behind Szach Mat and Team Liquid’s academy team—setting the tone for a solid campaign.
Their only major misstep came during the first EMEA Challengers of the season, where they failed to make it out of the group stage after losses to PCIFIC and the German squad CGN. Despite that setback, Enterprise rebounded quickly and became the second team to lock in a spot at Ascension—right alongside their fiercest rivals from Turkey, early in August.
Twisted Minds (Challengers MENA)
Twisted Minds are the undisputed kings of the MENA Challengers (GCC, Pakistan, and Iraq). With a flawless reign since the start of 2025, the Saudi roster now arrives at Ascension with plenty to prove. For the very first time, they will be competing on an even playing field in terms of ping, as they head to Berlin’s Riot Games Arena to face Europe’s best tier-2 teams.
Champions of Stage 1, champions of Stage 2, and eventual winners of the regional finals, Twisted Minds have dominated every step of the circuit. On each occasion, they defeated The Ultimates in the grand final, underlining a level of supremacy unmatched anywhere else in EMEA’s tier-2 scene. They will also get an early test at Challengers EMEA Stage 3, where they can finally measure themselves against other European rosters—something they were denied in the last two regional events.
Team RA’AD (Challengers MENA)
On the other side of the MENA circuit, Team RA’AD established themselves as the dominant force in North Africa and the Levant. The Egyptian squad claimed Stage 1 by beating Gamax, then doubled down with a Stage 2 victory against BAAM Esports.
However, their run in the MENA Finals was cut short. Facing tougher opposition, RA’AD fell 2–1 to The Ultimates before being swept 2–0 by Twisted Minds. As a result, it is difficult to gauge their true standing against the wider field. Their upcoming appearance in Challengers EMEA should provide valuable insight into their form, and Berlin could be the stage where RA’AD finally prove how far they can go.
MANDATORY (Challengers France)
Without ever claiming the French Championship title, MANDATORY has qualified for Ascension EMEA. The French organization secured its spot by topping the so-called “group of death” in Challengers EMEA Stage 3, finishing ahead of BBL PCIFIC, the Stage 1 winners, and Enterprise Esports, who lifted the trophy in Stage 2.
With a 2nd place finish in both Stage 1 and Stage 3 in France, and a 3rd place finish in Stage 2, Mandatory consistently collected points throughout the year, which ultimately secured their place in the EMEA promotion tournament. Despite losing twice in finals against Joblife, Mandatory will still reach Ascension ahead of their rivals, setting the stage for the decisive Tier 2 EMEA event.
FOKUS (Challengers DACH)
ULF Esports (Challengers Türkiye)
DNSTY (Challengers Spain)
Header Photo Credit: Riot Games
