We are approaching the final game day of the VCT 2025: EMEA Kickoff on January 17, right before the first weekend begins. The day will start with a match between one of the tournament favorites, Fnatic, and BBL Esports, whose roster is incomplete due to a forced substitution. In this article, we will analyze both teams and predict the likely winner of the match.

Current Form of the Teams

Fnatic

Recently, the team has only participated in two tournaments: Red Bull Home Ground #5 and the Riot Games ONE PRO INVITATIONAL 2024 show tournament, which had no prize pool. Fnatic placed 5th-6th at Red Bull.

Out of their last five matches, Fnatic won three. However, four of those were in a best-of-one format, and their only best-of-three match, against G2 Esports, ended in a loss.

Before the season began, the team faced roster difficulties. Austin "crashies" Roberts replaced Leo "Leo" Jannesson, who is still unable to play due to health issues. Additionally, Fnatic lost one of their best duelists, Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev.

BBL Esports

The team participated in Monsters Reloaded 2024, where they became champions, and in the qualifiers for Red Bull Home Ground #5, ending their run at the Play-in stage. At Monsters Reloaded, they defeated three teams, two of which compete in the VCT.

BBL won four of their last five matches, including their debut match in the VCT 2025 EMEA Kickoff against GIANTX.

The season for BBL also started with a substitution: Egor "chiwa" Stepanyuk couldn’t secure a visa, so Vakaris "vakk" Bebravičius stepped in. Although his performance was not the best, the team still secured a victory.

Map Pool Analysis

Fnatic

Fnatic typically bans Bind, and their map choice depends on their opponent. Recently, they have often chosen Abyss.

Maps Fnatic has played most over the past year:

• Lotus (21 times, 62% win rate)
• Bind (13 times, 62% win rate)

Most successful maps:

• Haven (89% win rate)
• Split (67% win rate)

BBL Esports

BBL usually bans Pearl and Bind and frequently picks Haven.

Most played maps:

• Haven (8 times, 75% win rate)
• Bind (8 times, 63% win rate)

Most successful maps:

• Split (80% win rate)
• Haven (75% win rate)

Predicted Map Pool:

• Banned Maps: Fnatic bans Bind, BBL bans Pearl
• Picks: Fnatic picks Lotus, BBL picks Haven
• Decider: Split

Head-to-Head

Over the past year, the teams have met only once, where Fnatic won 2-1. In total, they have faced each other three times, with Fnatic winning every match.

Match Prediction

Fnatic holds the advantage due to their head-to-head history and experience in major tournaments. However, roster changes and inconsistent form may become critical factors. On the other hand, BBL has shown confident results at the start of the season, even with a temporary substitution.

A tight match is expected, but Fnatic has slightly better chances of winning, thanks to their experience and confidence on maps like Haven and Split.

Prediction: 2-1 in favor of Fnatic.

The VCT 2025 EMEA Kickoff is taking place from January 15 to February 9 in a LAN format at the Riot Games arena. Twelve partnered teams from the VCT program will compete for two invitations to Masters Bangkok and critical EMEA Points needed for World Championship qualification.