Team Heretics defeated Team Vitality 3-2 in the grand final of VCT EMEA Stage 1 on May 17, 2026, claiming their first official VCT regional title. The match lasted over five hours at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin.
The series went the full five maps. Vitality won Breeze 13-10, Heretics took Lotus 15-13, Vitality claimed Pearl 13-7, and Heretics won Split 13-11 before closing out on Haven 15-13.
Six Finals, One Title
This was Heretics’ sixth VCT grand final appearance, and their first win. Aside from their Esports World Cup 2025 title, Heretics had reached five VCT finals without lifting the trophy. That run made them one of the more frustrating stories in Valorant esports, consistently good enough to reach the last match, but never getting past it.
The Spanish organization had a difficult start to the season. After a disappointing Kickoff event and an inconsistent beginning to Stage 1, few expected them to make a deep run. They secured three straight wins in the group stage to earn a playoff spot, then lost to Eternal Fire in the opening round of the bracket.
From there, Heretics won five consecutive matches through the lower bracket, including a hard series against Fnatic, to reach the grand final.
Heretics will now go to Masters London as the EMEA first seed, earning a direct bye into the playoff stage. The Masters London begins on June 6.
For Heretics, this is their first international appearance since finishing 5th-6th at Valorant Champions 2025. They go in as the top EMEA representative, with the full squad healthy and a title behind them for the first time.
