Foo Zen-Wen

Team Liquid’s battle against Karmine Corp was a show of determination and grit. After a close series loss the previous week to Team Vitality, Liquid found themselves now in the Middle Bracket of VCT EMEA Kickoff with two lives left to battle to Santiago. Backs against the wall after a dismal Map 1 performance, Liquid turned their fortunes around to complete the reverse sweep, propelling themselves with their first official win of the season. Following the conclusion of their series, Strafe Esports sat down with Team Liquid IGL and captain Ayaz “nAts” Akhmetshin to reflect on the series as a whole, the challenges of heading into a new season with a substitute for Week 1, his evolution as a leader for the team, and so much more in this exclusive interview.

Team Vitality’s clash against Team Liquid in the Upper Bracket of VCT EMEA Kickoff proved to be the first real test for the squad, going the full distance in an all-out brawl between the two teams. Vitality eventually emerged as the victor, placing them two series wins away from qualifying for Masters Santiago. Following their series win, Strafe Esports sat down with Team Vitality’s Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev, who spoke on the series as a whole, the team’s preparation coming into Kickoff, his thoughts on the new crop of teams taking over the EMEA stage and more in this exclusive interview.

As players continue to acclimate to League of Legends in 2026, patch 26.03 rolls into town with a number of adjustments aimed at addressing player frustration. With plenty of changes coming, let’s take a look at the biggest changes coming based on the official preview. LoL Patch 26.03 is set to release on February 4th, 2026.

NAVI are storming into the lead at VCT EMEA Kickoff after taking down yet another name on their path to Masters Santiago qualification. With this win against Team Heretics, the team is 2 wins away from a spot at the first international event of the year. Following their victory, Strafe Esports sat down with Natus Vincere (NAVI) player Emirhan “hiro” Kat to speak on the team’s success thus far at Kickoff, his personal preparation in the off-season, the team’s goals for the season, and so much more in this exclusive interview.

Team Heretics have arrived in 2026 with their debut match against Natus Vincere (NAVI) in VCT EMEA Kickoff, but perhaps not with the landing they were hoping for. Following the conclusion of their series, Strafe Esports sat down with Team Heretics player Benjy “benjyfishy” Fish to reflect on the team’s performance during the series, goals for 2026 following a quieter 2025, his thoughts on the game changes during the off-season, and so much more in this exclusive interview.

The road to Masters Santiago begins with a single step – Kickoff. The VCT EMEA Kickoff for 2026 is set to begin on the 20th of January with 12 teams taking to the stage, competing and qualifying for 3 slots to the first VALORANT Masters event of the new year. Kings of old? Established order? 2026 upturns all of that with new challengers vying for control in this latest season of VCT EMEA.