For the first time in Valorant history, Fnatic will not be heading to the Champions stage, marking the tragic end of an era.
The European organization was eliminated from VCT EMEA Stage 2 after falling 2-0 to Joblife, closing out the team’s shaky campaign and confirming their absence from the year’s biggest tournament.
This marks the second time in two weeks that a Tier 2 squad got the better of Fnatic. Previously, we saw the org dropping against Enterprise Esports during the Play-Ins upper bracket. While Fnatic managed to take down GIANTX to keep their dreams alive, there was no margin left for error, and the season finally caught up with them.
What makes the collapse notable is how recently Fnatic were among the best teams on the planet. Only months following a runner-up finish at the Valorant Champions 2025 in Paris, the roster largely stayed intact around its core, yet the chemistry and dominance that carried them to that final never fully returned this season.
Beyond missing the prestigious Valorant Champions 2026, this is also the first year where Fnatic failed to reach a single international event.
Injuries and roster instability were major contributors to Fnatic’s struggles throughout this VCT season. Sylvain “Veqaj” Pattyn has been sidelined since Stage 1 for health reasons, forcing the team to search for answers elsewhere, including several key changes to player roles and coaching staff. However, none of it was enough to arrest the slide.
With Fnatic’s 4th-place finish at EMEA Kickoff, 5th-6th at the Stage 1 Playoffs, 5th-6th at the Esports World Cup qualifier, and finally a 9th-10th finish in Stage 2’s group stage, the Valorant community saw a steep fall for an organization that once claimed back-to-back Masters titles and a Champions crown in 2023.
