Stallions Esports will miss Valorant Challengers 2026 EMEA Stage 1 due to travel restrictions imposed due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Riot Games announced the news, updating the community on the effects on the event, stating that “all matches involving Stallions Esports will be considered null and void,” adding that the schedule will be “brought forward to fill empty match slots.”
Stallion Esports to miss Valorant Challengers EMEA Stage 1
The 2026 Iran War started on February 28, severely affecting travel in the Middle East with airspace closed across several nations, and heavily restricted in Saudi Arabia.
Stallion Esports is headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Valorant roster features two members from the org’s home nation, Othman ‘AL7B’ Khalid Al-Amoudi and in-game leader Abdulaziz ‘Avvix’ Alghanmi.
The roster also features two players from the United Arab Emirates, Omar ‘Koji’ Hraiz and Saif ‘Akai’ Alnuaimi. UAE airspace has faced full closures due to ongoing attacks.
The six-man roster also features Anas ‘Br1ckzi’ Bassem from Jordan and Russia’s Akhmed ‘Susano’ Markhiev.
The roster qualified for Valorant Challengers EMEA by winning the MENA Resilience Kickoff 2026, but will ultimately miss the event. Riot, however, did qualify that the roster will still be awarded a Challengers EMEA ranking point for qualifying for the event.
Riot Games Stallion Esports statement in full:
“Unfortunately, due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East and resulting travel restrictions, Stallions Esports will no longer participate in VALORANT Challengers EMEA 2026 Tournament #1.
“Stallions Esports will not be replaced in the competition and all matches involving Stallions Esports will be considered null and void. The team will still receive a Challengers EMEA ranking point for qualifying for the competition.
“The schedule will be adjusted accordingly, with affected fixtures from the same feed brought forward to fill open match slots.
“We thank Stallions Esports for their cooperation under these circumstances and extend our best wishes to the team’s players, staff, and their families during this time.”
For esports discussion, check out Insider Gaming’s Discord.
For more Riot-related news, did you see that Riot has confirmed that the LEC will stay in Berlin in 2027?
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.
More from Darragh Harbinson
