NAVI and GIANTX have been eliminated from VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026 after losing elimination matches against Team Heretics and Team Liquid, respectively.
As a result, NAVI and GIANTX will miss out on Masters Santiago, while their opponents can still qualify for the first global VCT event of the year through the lower bracket.
Team Heretics Looks Revitalised Versus NAVI
The day kicked off with a rematch betweenTeam Heretics and NAVI, which had previously faced off in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals. While the first encounter concluded in a 2-1 victory for NAVI, Team Heretics delivered a dominant 2-0 sweep this time around.
NAVI had a solid start on Team Heretics’ map pick, Haven. However, from round four onward, the team struggled to clear the enemy Cypher’s info-gathering utility, allowing Team Heretics to stack sites and achieve a strong 8-4 defensive half. This momentum carried over into the second half, resulting in a 13-5 victory for the Spanish organisation.
Team Heretics’ newest roster member, Berkcan ‘ComeBack’ Şentürk, delivered a massive performance on Haven with a kill-death ratio (KDA) of 29/12/5 and a 455 average combat score.
For its Breeze debut at Kickoff, Team Heretics played a defence-favouring Sage/Chamber agent combination, awarding the team with another 8-4 half. Off the back of an attack pistol in the second half, Team Heretics took Breeze 13-4.
Team Liquid Denies GIANTX Reverse Sweep
The second series of the day saw last year’s EMEA Stage 2 finalists, Team Liquid and GIANTX, fight for survival in the lower bracket. Just like last year, Team Liquid emerged victorious from the encounter (2-1).
Team Liquid quickly took control of its map pick, Breeze, thanks to a thrifty win in the second round. With excellent attack-side calling from the roster’s in-game leader (IGL) Ayaz ‘nAts’ Akhmetshin, Team Liquid secured a 9-3 half, which later converted into a 13-4 victory.
Pearl began with a ten-round winning streak for GIANTX, while Team Liquid’s mid-heavy attack side calling found little success. After an 11-1 half and another pistol round win, it was only a matter of time until GIANTX evened out the match score (13-6).
The final showdown took place on Bind, where both teams excelled on the defensive side. Despite two pistol-round wins, GIANTX had to fight back from a 4-8 halftime deficit to force overtime. Meanwhile, Team Liquid gained a lot of value from its Gekko pick on both sides and ultimately denied an enemy comeback at 16-14.
On February 12th at 5 PM BST, Team Liquid will continue its lower bracket run at VCT EMEA Kickoff, facing off against Team Heretics. Fans can tune into the elimination match via the league’s official Twitch and YouTube channels.
