Fnatic Welcomes Sayonara, Confirm Leo for VCT 2025 season

Fnatic Welcomes Sayonara, Confirm Leo for VCT 2025 season

Ganesh Jadhav

24 Sep, 2024, 20:40

|

Last updated: 9 Apr, 2025, 07:18

The defending Champions of VCT EMEA, Fnatic have welcomed Ștefan "Sayonara" Mîtcu into their fold for the Off//Season events including Red Bull Home Ground #5 and Riot Games One Tokyo.

On the same note, they also announced the return of the in-house Sova main Leo “Leo” Jannesson for the upcoming VCT season.

Fnatic invests in the Future

The first introduction, Sayonara is a 16-year old Moldovan prodigy that recently played under KPI Gaming and isn't eligible to play in VCT until March, 2026.

In the four months with the KPI Gaming squad, the rookie helped the team secure the VCL Spain Split 1 title, place third in Split 2 and qualify for VCT EMEA Ascension 2024.

In the three tournaments he played in Tier 2, he was the best performing player for KPI Gaming. He was only outshone by kaajaak, another alleged Fnatic pickup, in terms of stats at VCT EMEA Ascension.

The time with Fnatic will be Sayonara’s opportunity to test his mettle against Tier 1 of VALORANT and understand what makes a Tier 1 team.

The move also displays Fnatic’s willingness to make a move and invest in their future and shape up upcoming talent. It also helps their case when Sayonara is ready to compete in a year and receives offers from multiple teams.

The return of the Leo

Fnatic also confirmed the return of Leo to the roster for the VCT 2025 season. The Swedish initiator went on a break earlier this season due to health concerns. He has not played since their VCT 2024: Masters Shanghai loss to FUT.

Leo’s return also unofficially confirms the Fnatic roster for VCT 2025, with kajaak reportedly replacing Derke for the upcoming year. With EMEA making moves to import some big names from all over, it’d be interesting to see how Fnatic with their new duelist will fare.

Follow Fnatic on X for the latest updates on the VALORANT roster. Stay Tuned on Strafe for the latest VALORANT updates

Featured Image Credits:  Riot Games // Valorant Champions Tour

Read More:  Gen.G Completes Roster for 2025 with foxy9 and yoman

Latest news

Dplus KIA to be Sold Amid Financial Turbulence

Dplus KIA to be Sold Amid Financial Turbulence

Dplus KIA have announced the organization is in the middle of a sale process as the club has "reached a point where it needs even greater capability and support to grow to the next level." Growing operational costs in esports and recent reports surfacing regarding unpaid wages at Dplus all seem to indicate that the move will be in the best interest of everyone involved, including players and fans of the organization.
16 Jul
Martin Arévalo-Östberg

Team Vitality CEO Neo: "For Us to be a Global Leader Means Being a Contender at EWC"

Team Vitality remains one of the most influential and well-known esports organizations to date. The Paris-based org fields over 20 esports teams in various esports, though their immensely impressive results in Counter-Strike take center stage.  Being one of the organizations present at Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, we managed to speak with Fabien "Neo" Devide, Co-Founder and CEO of the Hive, just after an interview with Mike McCabe, COO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, at the opening press conference at EWC. Neo provided a ton of insight into the organization's participation at this year's edition of EWC in Paris. He expressed his desire for the org to perform to the highest standards, but also highlighted that rivalry is key to grow the ecosystem. Additionally, Neo gave strong opinions on the growth of mobile esports following last year's Vitality's takeover and merger with Indonesian side Bigetron, stressing the need for innovation and following ideas in the east, as much as the west.
15 Jul
Naim "EnKay" Rosinski

VALORANT Declares War on Boosting and Smurfing

Riot Games is done playing nice with rank manipulators. Starting with Patch 13.01, the studio is rolling out sharper detection tools built to catch boosting, win-trading, and stream sniping, and this time the punishments are landing on everyone involved, not just the person paying for the service.
14 Jul
Thales Costa

Mike McCabe COO of EWC Foundation: "The Home Is Always Going to Be Riyadh"

The Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC) had its grand launch on July 8, commemorating the official start of the event with an opening press conference at the Hotel de Ville in the heart of Paris. With many speakers kicking off the event, like the CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, Ralf Reichert, Emmanuel Grégoire, the mayor of Paris, and others, taking center stage.  Following an opening ceremony with multiple speakers, media were given the opportunity to chat with representatives of the Esports World Cup Foundation, game publishers, or even reps of prolific esports organizations such as Team Vitality. We managed to speak with Mike McCabe, the COO of the Esports World Cup Foundation.
14 Jul
Naim "EnKay" Rosinski

VALORANT Patch 13.01: Iso and Yoru Buffs, Outlaw Nerf and More

Riot Games has rolled out VALORANT Patch 13.01, and while it's not the biggest update of the year, it brings meaningful quality-of-life buffs, a notable nerf, and a major crackdown on competitive integrity. Here's everything you need to know.
14 Jul
Kaustavmani Choudhury

Riot Games Brings Local Flair to VCT EMEA With Mushkaa Collab

Riot Games has confirmed a fresh collaboration that's about to give one of VALORANT's most iconic anthems a distinctly local twist. Ahead of the VCT EMEA Stage 2 Finals in Barcelona, the publisher has teamed up with rising Spanish artist Mushkaa to remix Villain (Take the Shot), one of the game's biggest musical hits.
13 Jul
Thales Costa

100 Thieves Claim First-Ever International VALORANT Title at Esports World Cup

100 Thieves have been crowned champions of the VALORANT Esports World Cup 2026, defeating regional rivals NRG in a tense five-map grand final. The win marks a defining moment for the organization, delivering their first-ever international trophy after years of near-misses and missed qualifications.
12 Jul
Kaustavmani Choudhury

Comments (0)

Log in to comment on this match