Karmine Corp won VCT EMEA Stage 2 on August 30, defeating Team Liquid 3-1 in the grand final at the Olimpic Arena in Badalona, near Barcelona. The French organization dropped only one map across the series, closing out Sunset, Ascent, and Summit to seal EMEA’s top seed for VALORANT Champions 2026. The result completes a dramatic turnaround for Karmine Corp, who finished Stage 1 with a 0-5 record before promoting assistant coach ZE1SH to head coach.
This article covers the grand final scoreline, the road to the final, the Champions 2026 qualification picture, and the story behind Karmine Corp’s climb back to the top.
Karmine Corp VCT EMEA Stage 2 Grand Final Result
Karmine Corp beat Team Liquid 3-1 in the best-of-five grand final to become VCT EMEA Stage 2 champions. The series opened on Sunset, KC’s map pick, which was tied 6-6 at halftime before Karmine Corp won seven of the next eight rounds to close it out 13-7.
On Ascent, Team Liquid’s pick, Karmine Corp again controlled the pace. An 8-4 first half turned into a 13-6 win, putting the French side one map from the title.
Team Liquid responded on Lotus. After trailing early, TL won the back half of the map to close it out 13-7 and force a fourth map. On Summit, Liquid built an early lead of 7-5 at the half, but Karmine Corp won eight of the last nine rounds to close the map 13-10 and the series 3-1.
Karmine Corp’s dos9 was named Grand Finals MVP, finishing with the series’ highest kill count and rating. Teammate N4RRATE also posted strong numbers across the five maps, while Team Liquid’s Kicks and kamo led their side’s individual output in the loss.
Path to the Grand Final
Karmine Corp reached the decisive match through the upper bracket. On August 28, the team beat FUT Esports 2-0 in the upper bracket final, securing the first automatic spot at VALORANT Champions 2026.
Team Liquid took the longer road. The team eliminated Fire Flux Esports 2-0 in the lower bracket before sweeping FUT Esports 3-0 in the lower bracket final on August 29, claiming the second automatic Champions spot.
The Stage 2 playoffs ran from August 20 to August 30 in Badalona, with eight teams competing for a $250,000 prize pool.
VALORANT Champions 2026 Qualification
Four EMEA teams have now qualified for VALORANT Champions 2026: Karmine Corp and Team Liquid through their grand final placements, plus FUT Esports and Team Vitality, who lead the region’s championship points standings with 18 and 14 points respectively.
The final Stage 2 prize distribution is as follows:
| Placement | Team | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Karmine Corp | $100,000 |
| 2nd | Team Liquid | $65,000 |
| 3rd | FUT Esports | $40,000 |
| 4th | Fire Flux Esports | $25,000 |
| 5th–6th | Enterprise Esports | $10,000 |
| 5th–6th | BBL Esports | $10,000 |
From a Winless Stage 1 to VCT EMEA Stage 2 Champions
Karmine Corp’s title arrives after a difficult start to the year. The team went 0-5 in Stage 1 and lost head coach ENGH, who departed for Fnatic. Rather than rebuild the roster, Karmine Corp promoted assistant coach ZE1SH to head coach and kept the same lineup.
The team had also signed three new players earlier in 2026. Stage 2 marks Karmine Corp’s first international VALORANT event since Masters Madrid 2024.
Karmine Corp’s win in Barcelona carried an added layer of tension. Owner Kameto has a public rivalry with Ibai and Movistar KOI, and Kameto was booed by the crowd during a broadcast interview at halftime of map one, despite MKOI no longer competing in VCT.
Other Storylines from Stage 2
Several Challengers League sides made a mark on the tournament. Enterprise Esports, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Fire Flux Esports all reached the playoffs, a notable result for teams outside the franchised tier.
On the other side, Fnatic were eliminated in the Play-In stage, while GIANTX and Team Heretics missed out on qualification after struggling through the regular season.
