Karmine Corp Win VCT EMEA Stage 2 2026

Karmine Corp are the champions of VCT 2026: EMEA Stage 2. On 30 August at the Olimpic Arena in Badalona, Spain, the French club beat Team Liquid 3:1 in the grand final and took $100,000 from the prize pool. They went through the entire playoffs via the upper bracket without dropping a single series, and that after finishing next to last in Stage 1 in spring without a win.

A playoff run without a defeat

Karmine Corp opened the playoffs with a first-round bye and never gave up a series after that:

Stage	Opponent	Score	Date
Upper semifinal	Enterprise Esports	2:1	21 August
Upper final	FUT Esports	2:0	28 August
Grand final	Team Liquid	3:1	30 August

Team Liquid had the harder road: they lost 0:2 to FUT Esports in the first upper-bracket round and climbed back through the lower bracket, beating Eintracht Frankfurt 2:1, Enterprise Esports 2:0, Fire Flux Esports 2:0 and taking revenge on FUT Esports 3:0 in the lower-bracket final on 29 August. Second place earned them $65,000.

The grand final MVP was dos9, with 70 kills and a 1.28 rating across the series.

Payback for Stage 1

The context makes the title louder. In Stage 1 of the 2026 season Karmine Corp collapsed: zero wins, five losses and an 11th-12th place finish, with elimination from playoff contention mathematically sealed by a 1:2 loss to FUT Esports on 23 April. In Stage 2 they met FUT again in the upper final and won it clean, 2:0. Going from the bottom of the table to the title in a single stage is one of the most striking comebacks in VCT history.

The champion roster

The Karmine Corp five comes from five different countries: Avez (Egypt), dos9: Dastan Zhumagali (Kazakhstan), LewN (Turkey), SUYGETSU: Dmitry Ilyushin, and N4RRATE (USA). SUYGETSU carries an International flag on vlr.gg, with FunPlus Phoenix and Natus Vincere behind him, one of the most decorated Russian-speaking players on the scene.

Russian-speaking players were on both sides of this final: Team Liquid field nAts (Ayaz Akhmetshin), purp0 (Semyon Borchev) and trexx (Nikita Cherednichenko). Their settings, sensitivity and crosshairs are in our Valorant pro database, for instance SUYGETSU and dos9. Who else from the Russian-speaking scene plays at the top level is covered in a separate breakdown.

Who is going to Champions

The Stage 2 title is a direct ticket to Valorant Champions 2026. The tournament runs in Shanghai from 24 September to 18 October: 16 teams, a $2,250,000 prize pool, and the first Champions held in China.

Each of the four regions sends four teams: two through the Stage 2 playoffs (winner and finalist) and two on championship points earned across the season. The EMEA line-up is:

• Karmine Corp: Stage 2 champion;
• Team Liquid: Stage 2 finalist;
• FUT Esports and Team Vitality: on championship points, secured in advance.

French media describe this as the club's first ever qualification for Champions. We will track the schedule and bracket in the Valorant esports section, with upcoming matches on the tournaments page.

Frequently asked questions

Who won VCT EMEA Stage 2 2026?

Karmine Corp. In the grand final on 30 August 2026 they beat Team Liquid 3:1 and earned $100,000.

Who was the grand final MVP?

dos9 of Karmine Corp, with 70 kills and a 1.28 rating over the series.

What is the Karmine Corp roster?

Avez, dos9, LewN, SUYGETSU and N4RRATE, players from Egypt, Kazakhstan, Turkey and the USA, plus SUYGETSU under an International flag.

When and where is Valorant Champions 2026?

In Shanghai from 24 September to 18 October 2026, with 16 teams and a $2,250,000 prize pool.

Which teams represent EMEA at Champions 2026?

Karmine Corp, Team Liquid, FUT Esports and Team Vitality: the first two via Stage 2, the others on championship points.

Sources

Match results and bracket, the VCT 2026: EMEA Stage 2 page on vlr.gg; the grand final report, vlr.gg; the Valorant Champions 2026 page on vlr.gg.