Valorant Masters Santiago has reached its final four following a decisive Tuesday, which saw both EMEA and China lose their final regional representatives at Valorant’s first international of the year.
G2 swept BBL aside 2-0 in a humbling encounter for the EMEA Kickoff winners, while Paper Rex defeated All Gamers 10-13, 13-7, 13-4 on Corrode, Pearl, and Split to set up a rematch clash with long-time rivals, G2, in the Lower Bracket on Friday.
In the Upper Bracket, NRG will face Nongshim Redforce for a place in the Grand Final after the South Korean roster stunned G2 in the Upper semi-finals.
Masters Santiago failure sparks moment of reflection for EMEA
Liquid’s elimination in the Swiss Stage and Gentle Mate’s elimination by All Gamers meant BBL were EMEA’s last hope going into Tuesday’s matches.
BBL’s explosive and aggressive style was dismantled by a more experienced G2 roster, 13-5, 13-8 on Haven and Breeze as BBL became the last EMEA representative to fall.
The elimination of BBL has sparked discussion about the relative weakness of EMEA outside of Fnatic. Fnatic has been a meta-defining team in Valorant, under the leadership of influential IGL Jake ‘Boaster’ Howlett, but the same cannot be said for other teams in the region.
Emphasis was put on Fnatic’s sole success as VCT international winners, a point somewhat undermined by Team Heretics’ EWC success in 2025. However, there is certainly some truth to the matter.
EMEA, alongside China, has the fewest number of organisations that have won VCT international trophies, with Fnatic and EDward Gaming the only champions. China joined VCT in 2024, giving EMEA a year’s head start, but in this competition, the regions both exited at the same stage.
By contrast, the Americas region has seen Evil Geniuses, Sentinels, and NRG win trophies since 2023, and the Pacific has seen Gen.G and Paper Rex score Masters victories.
The matter will be a moment for self-reflection for EMEA, but that should be tempered by the knowledge that it is only the first international of the year, and Champions will be the ultimate goal for the competitive peaks of the EMEA rosters, several of which are new or drastically changed for the 2026 season.
While Fnatic and Vitality missed Santiago, they may turn out to be EMEA’s hardest hitters by the year’s end as Vitality learn to utilize Timofey ‘Chronicle’ Khromov, and Fnatic learn to live without him.
After years without a VCT international trophy, what do you think needs to change in EMEA to catch up to the Americas and Pacific regions? You can discuss that, and more, on our community Discord Server
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Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
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