Who are the VALORANT VCT EMEA partner teams?

In 2022, VALORANT publisher Riot Games unveiled its list of partner teams which where split across three international leagues: EMEA, the Americas and the Pacific, with China added to the fold in 2024. The publisher’s hybrid franchise system sees permanent partnered teams compete against each other alongside two organisations that have secured valuable promotion places.

The VALORANT ecosystem aims to provide long-term support, stability and revenue opportunities to select organisations. With Apeks being promoted to the EMEA league, how will the VALORANT esports landscape change in 2025?

Ahead of VCT EMEA League’s return in 2025, we’ve provided a brief history and background for VALORANT’s VCT teams representing the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region.

Team Liquid is a stalwart of esports. The organisation made its debut in StarCraft II in 2000 and currently has competitors in 15 different esports, including League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2 and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. To modern esports fans, Team Liquid is perhaps best known for its endeavours in North America through League of Legends, despite being originally based in the Netherlands. As such, the organisation’s decision to hold an EMEA VALORANT team wasn’t too much of a surprise. 

The multinational organisation has been a part of the VALORANT scene since 2020, appearing at three out of four VALORANT Champions events. Its biggest accomplishments in VALORANT include winning VCT 2023: EMEA League and reaching the semi-finals of VALORANT Champions 2021.

Some of Team Liquids’ other notable achievements include being five-time League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) champions, being victorious at The International 2024 (Dota 2) and winning MPL Indonesia Season 14 (Mobile Legends).

Fnatic is another old guard when it comes to esports organisations, having been in the industry for over two decades.

The organisation has a deep history with Riot Games and was League of Legends’ inaugural World Champion in 2011. Since the formation of League of Legends’ European competitive circuit, Fnatic has notched up seven split titles.

Fnatic entered VALORANT in 2021 and has since gone on to become a fan-favourite within the scene of the best-performing EMEA partner teams in 2023. In 2023, the organisation secured first place at VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo and VCT 2023: Masters Tokyo. Fnatic’s momentum continued in 2024 by winning both VCT 2024: EMEA stages. Overall, the organisation has appeared at five Masters and four Champions events as an EMEA representative.

Outside of VALORANT, the organisation also has a past in Counter-Strike, claiming three Major trophies: ESL One Cologne 2015, ESL One Katowice 2015 and DreamHack Winter 2013. As of the time of writing, Fnatic has competitive rosters in League of Legends, Counter-Strike 2, Rainbow Six Siege and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (via a partnership with ONIC).

Established in 2013, Team Vitality is arguably the original French powerhouse within esports.

The organisation’s journey in VALORANT started at the French regional level (VRL), with the team claiming silver at the VRL 2022: Finals – losing to fellow partner team Team Heretics. In 2023, the organisation had a middle-of-the-pack campaign, however, 2024 saw Team Vitality significantly improve at the end of the season to qualify for VALORANT Champions 2024.

With rosters in Starcraft II, Rainbow Six: Siege, Rocket League, Counter-Strike 2 and the FGC, the organisation continues to diversify its portfolio of titles.

Notably, Team Vitality became the first organisation to win two RLCS World Championships (2019 and 2023). The organisation also won the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, CS:GO’s final Major and has been a regular within the League of Legends European scene since 2015.

Despite only gracing the esports scene in 2020, the French organisation has become one of the most popular teams in Europe.

Founded by streamers Kamel ‘Kameto’ Kebir and Zouhair ‘Kotei’ Darji, the organisation rose to prominence thanks to its regional fanbase through Karmine’s French League of Legends team, which competes in the LFL, as well as its Rocket League roster. In 2023, the organisation joined the LEC after part-purchasing Astralis’ franchise spot.

Karmine Corp joined the VALORANT scene in 2022, where it competed in France’s VRL’s (VALORANT Regional Leagues) prior to being named as a partner team. Since joining VCT EMEA, Karmine Corp has had mixed results that range from finishing bottom in the VCT 2023: EMEA League to winning the VCT 2024: EMEA Kickoff.

Outside of Riot’s FPS title, the French organisation won Rocket League’s RLCS 2022-23 – Winter Split Major.

GIANTX is a multinational esports organisation that was created due to a merger between UK esports organisation EXCEL Esports and Spanish organisation Giants Gaming in late 2023. As a result, the latter’s partner team spot was rebranded.

In 2023, under Giants Gaming’s brand, VCT team managed to secure its place at VALORANT Champions 2023 after winning EMEA’s Last Chance Qualifier. However, in 2024, the organisation failed to capitalise on that momentum.

Outside of the VCT, GIANTX holds a franchise spot in League of Legends’ LEC as well as its Spanish regional league.

While the Spanish organisation has been around since 2016, 2022 proved to be a pivotal year for Team Heretics as it received VCT partner status and joined the LEC, League of Legends’ European league.

Prior to the VCT, Heretics competed in Spain’s VALORANT Regional league in 2022, finishing 10th and 8th in Stage 1 and Stage 2, respectively. Following a middling 2023 season, the organisation’s 2024 campaign cemented the team as a notable force, finishing second at VALORANT Champions 2024.

Outside of Riot Games’ titles, Team Heretics owns the Miami Heretics, a Call of Duty League franchise.

Representing Turkey is FUT Esports, the winner of the VALORANT Regional League in 2022 prior to the new format. As the name would suggest (Futbolist), the organisation joined the esports scene in 2017 primarily through FIFA (now EA FC). Within the sports simulation title, FUT Esports’ crowning moment is finishing 3rd/4th at the 2019 FIFA eClub World Cup.

In recent years, FUT Esports has expanded into titles such as Hearthstone, League of Legends, Brawl Stars and PUBG, all of which the organisation still competes in. Nevertheless, FUT Esports’ main accolades come from the VALORANT scene.

Since becoming a VCT partner team, FUT Esports has competed at VALORANT Champions 2023 and 2024 as well as Masters events in Tokyo and Shanghai.

Alongside FUT Esports is another Turkish VALORANT powerhouse: BBL Esports. The Turkish team was founded in 2020 by former League of Legends esports player Ferit ‘wtcN’ Karakaya, Twitch streamer Kemalcan ‘Kendine Müzisyen’ Parlak and Okan ‘Oidemirel’ Demirel.

The organisation primarily focuses on two esports titles — VALORANT and PUBG. In Riot Games’ FPS title, BBL Esports has been at the middle of the pack since the VCT EMEA’s inception. The organisation has yet to qualify for a VCT international event.

BBL Esports has, however, recorded more success in PUBG, competing at the 2021 and 2022 PUBG Global Championship.

Movistar KOI is a Spanish esports conglomerate formed by OverActive Media, the parent company of MAD Lions, in 2024.

In 2024, OverActive Media announced that it was acquiring Spanish brands Movistar Riders and KOI, the latter of which was founded by Spanish streamer Ibai ‘Ibai’ Llanos Garatea and footballer Gerard Piqué. As a result, KOI’s VCT partner team spot was rebranded to Movistar KOI. Similarly to OverActive Media’s LEC team, Mad Lion KOI, the organisation could potentially be rebranded to simply KOI in 2025.

Similarly to Karmine Corp, KOI, in particular, amassed a growing fanbase within its home country, partly due to the popularity of its co-owners. In 2024, Ibai broke Twitch’s viewership record, garnering 3.7m concurrent viewers on the platform when he hosted an amateur boxing event.

Since the start of VCT EMEA KOI has failed to qualify for an international VALORANT event. The organisation’s highest finish in VCT EMEA was 6th in the VCT 2024: EMEA Kickoff.

Outside of VALORANT, the new Spanish esports company also holds a Call of Duty franchise (Toronto Ultra).

The final permanent VCT EMEA partner team is Natus Vincere (NAVI). The Ukrainian organisation is yet another old guard within the esports scene, having been founded back in 2009. NAVI is a highly decorated organisation within Counter-Strike esports, including recently claiming notable victories at PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 and the 2024 Esports World Cup.

Alongside Counter-Strike 2, the organisation competes in a variety of other titles such as Dota 2, PUBG, PUBG Mobile and Brawl Stars, among others.

Within VALORANT, NAVI competed in the VCT EMEA Challengers ecosystem before being named a VCT partner team. Since entering VCT EMEA, the organisation has qualified for VALORANT Champions and Masters Tokyo in 2023. However, 2024 saw the organisation fail to compete on the international stage.

The penultimate organisation is French organisation Gentle Mates, VCT EMEA League’s first-ever promoted team.

The organisation was founded in 2022 by content creators Lucas ‘Squeezie’ Hauchard, Correntin ‘Gotaga’ Houssein and Kevin ‘Brawks’ Georges, and secured its place in VCT’s top-tier by winning VCT Ascension EMEA 2023. As a result of winning Ascension, Gentle Mates will compete in the VCT EMEA League and have the opportunity to extend their tenure each season.

Gentle Mates’ first season in VCT EMEA saw the organisation fail to qualify for an international event, with its best result being 7th – 8th in VCT 2024: EMEA Stage 1.

Alongside VALORANT, Gentle Mates also fields competitive rosters in Fortnite, League of Legends ( via the LFL) and Rocket League. Despite its short esports tenure, the organisation has recently picked up a notable accolade, winning RLCS 2024 Major 1: Copenhagen.

The final team competing in VCT EMEA in 2025 is Norwegian esports organisation Apeks following its promotion via the 2024 Ascension EMEA series.

Founded in 2017, Apeks is primarily known for its exploits in VALORANT, Counter-Strike and Fortnite. The organisation was originally called Kingpin Esports before donning the Apeks name in 2019 following its acquisition by esports company ProUnite AS.

In Riot Games’ FPS title, the organisation narrowly missed out on promotion in 2023, finishing runner-up to Gentle Mates. However, in 2024 the team walked out victorious, beating PCIFIC Esports in the Ascension EMEA finals.

Despite competing in the Fortnite and Counter-Strike ecosystem since 2021 and 2017, respectively, Apeks recently dispanded its rosters in 2024.

Article first published: 22/09/22. Last updated: 28/10/24