Riot Games has disqualified Team BONK from the VCT EMEA Kickoff Europe Qualifier 1 after its anti-cheat team confirmed that a member of the team was using cheating software. Every player and registered team member has been provisionally suspended from Riot-sanctioned competitions while the investigation into individual involvement continues. Riot announced the decision on the VCT EMEA account on 8 November, and ordered two rounds of the bracket to be replayed the same day. The announcement had passed 140,000 views within an hour.
According to Riot, its anti-cheat team has been reviewing matches throughout the Kickoff Qualifiers to look for potential cheating. Suspicious behaviour involving BONK was reported during Qualifier 1, and a further investigation “confirmed that a participant on Team BONK was using unauthorised cheating software”. Riot stressed that the suspensions are interim measures, and that any final sanctions will depend on what it finds for each individual. It also restated its “zero-tolerance policy for cheating, including knowingly enabling, assisting or concealing cheating by others”.
How BONK’s run through the bracket is being replayed
The disqualification came late in the tournament, which is why Riot had to rewrite part of the bracket. BONK had won their first three matches 2-0, against Educated Idiots, Mörköjengi and THE ONE, before knocking out Aurora Gaming, Project 100K and YCATBLE in turn. That run had taken them into a semi-final against Pixel Lumina, which was due to be played on Sunday. Instead, Riot has decided to replay the two rounds that followed BONK’s win over Aurora.
All three affected teams agreed to play again on 8 November. Aurora Gaming face Project 100K in the round of 16 at 17:00 CET, and the winner meets YCATBLE in the quarter-finals at around 19:30 CET. That quarter-final decides a place in the Kickoff Europe Qualifier playoffs. The semi-final against Pixel Lumina and the final have both been postponed to a later date.
The ruling hands Aurora Gaming an unexpected second chance. Aurora had won its first three matches 2-0, against Kryo Esports, Tantra Blitz and Enisorail, before losing to BONK in the round of 32 on 6 November. Project 100K had also swept its way through the early rounds, while YCATBLE beat Ninjas with Attitude and Royal Legion before running into BONK. All three now have to win again on Sunday evening to stay in contention.
Riot made clear that this is not a template for future cases. “Replaying tournament matches is an exceptional measure and will not always be possible,” it said, adding that the decision reflects “the specific circumstances of this case” and “does not establish a precedent”. Riot said it believed the replays offered the fairest outcome for the affected teams, while protecting competitive integrity and the tournament schedule.
Online qualifiers have always carried more risk than LAN events, because players compete from their own computers rather than on tournament machines. VALORANT runs Riot’s kernel-level Vanguard anti-cheat, but open brackets with hundreds of teams still rely on match reviews and player reports to catch suspicious play. Riot’s statement says those reviews are running throughout the Kickoff Qualifiers, not only in the Europe bracket. The Türkiye qualifiers start on 10 November, and MENA’s second qualifier begins on 9 November.
Why the VCT EMEA Kickoff Qualifiers matter so much in 2027
The stakes in these qualifiers are higher than in a normal open cup. Under Riot’s new format, the 2027 VCT EMEA Kickoff Qualifiers give teams from outside the partnership programme a direct path into the league’s opening event. Europe has two qualifiers, from 5 to 8 November and from 12 to 15 November, and teams that do well advance to a playoff stage. Some non-partner teams receive direct invites to that playoff stage instead.
Only four teams will make it through to VCT EMEA Kickoff itself: two from Europe, one from Türkiye and one from MENA. Non-partner teams that reach Kickoff will also receive $100,000 in financial support from Riot. That prize, together with a place alongside the 32 VCT partner teams, has drawn established organisations into the open bracket next to amateur sides.
The new season is already taking shape elsewhere in EMEA. FUT Esports have signed Wo0t from Team Heretics, and similar open qualifiers are running in the Pacific, as our guide to the VCT Pacific 2027 format explains. Riot has not named the BONK participant involved, and results from the replayed matches will appear on its official VALORANT Esports site. Qualifier 2 for Europe begins on 12 November.
