Riot Games made the tough decision to postpone the final group stage matches of VCT 2025: EMEA Stage 1 mid-game during Team Liquid vs. Karmine Corp due to technical problems.

On April 25, the match between Team Liquid and Karmine Corp began as scheduled, but after the pistol round on the first map (Split), a technical pause was announced. In total, there were more than seven pauses on the first map, which lasted over three hours. Team Liquid won the map with a score of 13:9. Following that, the company announced during the live broadcast that the remaining games would be rescheduled to a later date, which will be announced via official sources. In addition to the Team Liquid vs. Karmine Corp match, the Team Heretics vs. Fnatic match was also postponed.

A comment from Dmitry "SUYGETSU" Ilyushin, a Karmine Corp player, on the situation:

I don’t think something like this would ever happen in CS… Sorry, guys, for this clown show. There’s nothing we could’ve done or changed. We really tried to stay positive, but sometimes things are just out of your control.

Dmitry "SUYGETSU" Ilyushin

Ahmed “ZE1SH” Sheikh, assistant head coach of Karmine Corp, could not withstand the emotion and provided his commentary on the state of the VCT EMEA league.

This league is a disgrace.

We sacrifice everything just to be here and compete. I usually keep my personal life private, but right now, I’m overwhelmed. My mother is sick, and I’m working 15-hour days away from her, dedicating my entire life to this game—only to play five matches per stage, and barely even finish one of them.

Why am I doing this, risking my health and life? You don’t respect us. You should be ashamed.

Ahmed “ZE1SH” Sheikh

The constant technical pauses sparked a wave of frustration among professional players. Many began publicly complaining about tech issues at tier-1 level tournaments and subpar conditions. For example, computers in the EMEA region sometimes drop below 300 FPS, according to Dom "soulcas" Sulcas, a player for MKOI. More details on this situation can be found in our other report.

Organizers have promised that the matches will take place in the coming days, but no exact dates have been provided yet. Spectators who bought tickets to attend the matches in person at Riot Games Arena in Berlin can request a refund.