On January 17, the quarterfinals of VCT 2025: EMEA Kickoff began with highly exciting matches, yielding unpredictable outcomes. One of the tournament favorites faced an unexpected defeat, and the winner of the French derby in VCT EMEA was decided.

BBL Esports vs. Fnatic

Fnatic will remember this match for the rest of the season. Entering the tournament as one of the top favorites and facing BBL Esports, a team formed from tier-2 players and Jamppi, and competing with a substitute for a key player, Fnatic faced not only a tough challenge but also a loss. With a 2:1 victory, BBL Esports defeated Fnatic, sending them to the lower bracket while advancing to the upper bracket semifinals.

Team Vitality vs. Karmine Corp

One of the Most Intense Matches of the Tournament – Team Vitality vs. Karmine Corp. Both teams fought relentlessly to secure victory and avoid dropping to the lower bracket.

The first map, Haven, surprisingly went to Team Vitality with a dominant score of 13:5, making the outcome seem predictable. However, Karmine Corp managed to win their map pick, Bind, with a 13:9 score. This set the stage for a decisive showdown on the third map – Abyss.

On the final map, both French teams went neck and neck. Despite brilliant performances from Saadhak and ENGH on a “chessboard”, Karmine Corp fell short as Team Vitality edged out their opponents in overtime to claim victory in this gripping match.

The VCT 2025: EMEA Kickoff is taking place from January 15 to February 9 in a LAN format at the Riot Games arena. Twelve partner teams from the VCT program are battling for two invitations to Masters Bangkok and critical EMEA Points, essential for qualifying for the World Championship.