Today, leading esports club Team Vitality was crowned champions at the VALORANT EMEA KICKOFF 2025 at the Riot Games Arena, Berlin. The Bees experienced an amazing playoff run, which saw the team overcome an exciting French derby in the quarter-finals against Karmine Corp, and Turkish powerhouse FUT Esports in the Upper Semi-Finals, ending with an amazing comeback performance in the Grand Final against Team Liquid.

DOMINATING THE TOURNAMENT FROM GAME ONE

Team Vitality’s roster of Kimmie “Kicks” Laasner, Saif “Sayf” Jibraeel, Nikita “trexx” Cherednichenko, Felipe “Less” Basso, and Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev put on an emphatic display beating some of Europe’s top teams,.

Team Vitality’s first win came in the derby against fellow French esports organisation, Karmine Corp, in the Upper Quarterfinals, with Team Vitality producing a dominating performance to win 2-1. The Bees then followed up their impressive Quarterfinal win with an incredible performance against one of Europe’s leading teams, FUT Esport, winning 2-0. In the Upper Bracket Final, the Bees brushed aside Team Heretics, with a commanding 2-0 win, including a 13-1 win on Abyss which set up a Grand Final against Team Liquid.

Team Liquid dealt the first blow of the Grand Final, taking Split with a narrow 13-10 victory. The opposition continued their form into the second game, with a 13-7 win on Haven. On Lotus, however, Team Vitality rallied to bite back with a 13-6 win. The Bees continued this form into Bind, where they took a 13-7 win, setting up a grandstand final game on Fracture, where Team Vitality completed a magnificent comeback with a 13-8 win.

THE FIRST VCT TROPHY FOR TEAM VITALITY

This victory marks Team Vitality’s first success of the VCT season—and the club’s first-ever European title on VALORANT. With this win, the team cements its place as one of the top two squads in the EMEA league, securing direct qualification for Masters Bangkok, where the world’s best teams will compete.

By defeating Team Liquid at the Riot Games Arena, Team Vitality sends a clear message: the Bees won’t back down this season. With a roster of international talent from across the globe, the team has a unique opportunity to make history in the FPS scene. Their goal? To leave a lasting mark on esports. Now, the focus shifts to maintaining this outstanding level of performance and securing a spot at the VALORANT Champions in Paris, the club’s hometown, this September.

“This roster is both talented and unpredictable. They leave nothing to chance and have an unshakable determination to win. Our players know they have the chance to write a new chapter in the history of esports and Team Vitality. Winning our first VCT trophy and starting the season like this is an incredible source of pride,” says Fabien “Neo” Devide, President of Team Vitality. “Now, we are ready to showcase our full strength in Bangkok, keeping our ultimate goal in sight: the Champions in Paris.’

New recruit Nikita ‘Derke’ Sirmitev said: ”We were just confident in our maps, I think our map pool is strong. Even though we lost Split and Haven, whh u en we got to the third map we started believing in ourselves, we took it round-by-round and tried not to stress out too much, and it worked!”

Head Coach Daniel “Faded” Hwang said: “One of the biggest things in our team is that they never give up. Sayf is a vibes merchant – he keeps emotions steady, motivates the whole team and creates a positive environment around him, which is a leadership trait I admire in him. Even when we were two maps down, I didn’t stop believing because the team didn’t stop believing, they knew what needed to be done.