Riot Games Announces Gentle Mates Joins VCT EMEA In 2026

Esports & Games Writer

Publish Date: October 14, 2025

Recently, Riot Games announced that KOI Esports will be removed from the VCT Partnership League. KOI Esports is one of the European teams that has been part of the VCT EMEA league since its inception. In a press release, Riot Games announced this news, shocking fans worldwide. Recently, VALORANT Esports, EMEA, stated in a post on X that Gentle Mates have been announced to be the new team to take part in VCT EMEA in the VCT 2026 Season. What does this mean for VCT EMEA and its future? Let’s take a look at this article.

Gentle Mates Is The New Team To Join VCT EMEA In 2026

Within VALORANT Esports, the Tier 1 tournaments are a part of the VALORANT Champions Tour. Within the VCT, there are four regional leagues. One of these leagues is EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa). Within this league, there are 10 partnered teams and two that qualify through VCT Ascension. The 10 partnered teams consist of Esports organizations from that regional league.

At the start of September, RIOT Games announced that KOI Esports would lose its spot in VCT 2026. The reasons were stated to be due to certain contractual obligations not being fulfilled. Following that, Daniel Ringland, Head of VALORANT Esports, EMEA, said in a post on X that VCT has sent invitations to 10 new teams. Now, in a post on their social media, Riot Games has announced that Gentle Mates will be participating in VCT EMEA.

What Was The Process Of Selection

According to Riot Games, this decision was made after a comprehensive and competitive application process, during which ten teams were invited to participate from the VALORANT Esports EMEA ecosystem. Interestingly, nine out of the ten teams responded to the invitation. All nine teams were asked to submit a formal application. Below are some of the points that were the main criteria for selection in VCT EMEA 2026:

Organisational goals for the 2026 season
Collaboration, strategic alignment, and channel strategy
Operational readiness
Competitive plans and player support systems
Community resonance and ability to generate fandom

Following the review, the organization with the highest score from EMEA was Gentle Mates. They were part of VCT EMEA during the 2024 and 2025 seasons, following their win at VCT Ascension in 2023. The 2025 season wasn’t the best for the team as they went 0-5 during VCT EMEA Stage Two. Gentle Mates will be provided a one-year contract within VCT EMEA in the upcoming VCT 2026 season.

Featured image: Riot Games