The competitive season on the professional Valorant scene is in full swing. After regional qualifications, the second major event of the season Masters Toronto 2025 — is currently underway, and the group stage has just ended. Out of 12 participating teams, only 8 remain to fight in the playoffs.

Before the next matches begin, there is a one-day break, and during it we’ve prepared this piece to recap the group stage at Masters Toronto 2025.

How EMEA teams failed during the group stage

Perhaps the most talked-about topic in the Valorant esports community right now is the complete collapse of the EMEA region during the Masters group stage. As a reminder, the tournament features 12 teams, 3 from each region. This gives everyone equal chances, and the total number of remaining teams is a partial reflection of each region's strength. Unfortunately, EMEA once again proves to be one of the weakest.

Two European teams participated in the group stage of Masters: Team Heretics and Team Liquid. Both were considered quite strong — Heretics had excellent results in 2024 and were the silver medalists of Valorant Champions 2024, while Team Liquid is simply a solid team ranked in the region's top 3. However, despite this, both teams failed and were eliminated from the tournament.

Team Heretics suffered two consecutive losses. In their first match, they lost to Paper Rex with a score of 0:2. On the first map, Pearl, the team won only one round, a horrific result for a team of this level — 1:13. The only possible explanation could be a lack of experience — just 12 professional matches — but it’s unlikely that this was the sole reason. On the second map, Icebox, the team played better and won the first half, but after the side switch completely lost momentum and lost 9:13.

In their second match, the team faced the underdogs from the Chinese region, Wolves Esports, and once again lost 0:2. Both maps, Pearl and Lotus, were closely contested, but ultimately Team Heretics fell to the underdogs — a team they had considered the weakest before the event.

Team Liquid, on the other hand, had a slightly better showing, but it wasn’t enough to avoid elimination. In their first match, the team faced Chinese squad BiliBili Gaming. Unlike Heretics, the “horses” didn’t go down without a fight. On Haven, the number of overtime rounds reached 20, but in the end, the Chinese team emerged victorious.

In the second match, Liquid seemed to redeem themselves by defeating Brazil’s top team MIBR, led by star duelist aspas. It was a relatively easy match for the European club and ended 2:0.

But even this win couldn’t save Team Liquid from elimination. In the final round of the group stage, the team faced Paper Rex, and the Singaporean squad was the one to end the journey of both European teams at the event. Three intense maps — Split 15:13, Sunset 5:13, and Lotus 12:14 — handed Liquid their second loss and with it an exit from the Masters group stage.

The only EMEA team left in the event is Fnatic — but the thing is, they didn’t take part in the group stage. The team received a direct slot into the playoffs, and this likely saved the “orange” squad and the European region from complete obliteration. The list of remaining teams by region is as follows:

• Americas (2) – Sentinels, G2
• Pacific (3) – Paper Rex, Rex Regum Qeon, Gen.G Esports
• China (2) – Wolves Esports, XLG Esports
• EMEA (1) – Fnatic

It’s unclear why the situation unfolded this way, but it seems the 2023 scenario is repeating. Back then, many fans, analysts, and media figures referred to EMEA as a “one-team region.” Across the three major tournaments — VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo, Masters Tokyo 2023, and VALORANT Champions 2023 — only one EMEA team, Fnatic, reached the podium at all of them, while other European clubs didn’t even make the top 3.

Current standings and prize distribution

Although Masters Toronto 2025 isn’t over yet and the playoffs are still ahead, a few teams have already exited the tournament. Below is the current distribution of placements and the prizes awarded for each:

• 1st place DRX — $350,000 and 7 VCT Points
• 2nd place T1 — $200,000 and 5 VCT Points
• 3rd place — $125,000 and 4 VCT Points
• 4th place — $75,000 and 3 VCT Points
• 5th–6th place — $50,000 and 2 VCT Points
• 7th–8th place — $35,000
• 9th–10th place BiliBili Gaming, Team Liquid — $25,000
• 11th–12th place Team Heretics, MIBR — $15,000

Masters Toronto 2025 continues, and many exciting matches still lie ahead. You can follow them and all the related news at the link below.