Fnatic has signed experienced initiator Kirill ‘Cloud’ Nekhozhin to its Valorant roster ahead of VCT EMEA Stage 2.
The 22-year-old Russian pro has been the captain and IGL of GIANTX since the organisation joined VCT EMEA in 2023.
Fnatic had to fill a gap in its roster after the departure of Clément ‘CyvOph’ Millard to Natus Vincere.
CyvOph was brought into the Fnatic Valorant team earlier this year after Sylvain ‘Veqaj’ Pattyn had to step down amid health concerns.
However, Fnatic see Cloud as a long-term member of the team, signing him to a three-year contract.
Before going any further, consider downloading the free Insider Gaming app for the cleanest way to read your gaming news on iOS and Android.
Fnatic’s VCT Woes
After attending every international tournament last year and reaching the Champions finals, 2026 has been difficult for Fnatic.
Fnatic failed to qualify for Valorant Masters London after Team Heretics eliminated them from the Stage 1 Playoffs, denying fan-favourite Jake ‘Boaster’ Howlett the chance to play in front of a home crowd.
This is the first time that Fnatic has failed to qualify for one of the first two internationals in a year.
And on top of that, Fnatic also failed to qualify for the Esports World Cup through the online qualifiers.
Fnatic now have to record a high finish in the VCT EMEA Stage 2 Playoffs in order to qualify for Valorant Champions at the end of the year.
To try and make that happen, Fnatic has also brought in a new head coach, Andrey ‘Engh’ Sholokhov.
While missing players heavily contributed to poor results, Fnatic still decided to part ways with coach Milan ‘Milan’ de Meij.
How good a signing will Cloud be for Fnatic? Share your thoughts with us on the Insider Gaming Discord.
And in other news, food-loving influencer Big John is hosting an esports pub at Valorant Masters London Fan Fest.
Comments