Aurora Gaming came from a map down to beat F9 EICAR 2-1 and win the first VCT EMEA Kickoff Europe open qualifier. The win came days after they were put back into the bracket when the UK team BONK was disqualified for cheating.
The VCT EMEA Kickoff: Europe Qualifier 2027 decider got under way at 18:45. The series began on Lotus. Aurora’s chiwa was named most valuable player of the series.
The Aurora roster lists Boo, chiwa, Derke, B1SK and trexx. F9 EICAR, based in France, fielded Kipperman, Destrian, Tenshi, izana and Geekkooo.
A cheating ban put Aurora back in the bracket
Aurora’s run nearly ended early. BONK, a UK Valorant roster, beat them 2-1 in the round of 32 on 6 November. That result followed a comeback from 3-11 down on Bind. Riot’s ruling against BONK reversed Aurora’s exit. Every BONK player and registered team member was provisionally suspended. Project 100K and ycatble returned to the bracket along with Aurora.
The qualifier left no room for error. It was a single-elimination bracket for 256 teams, and every match was a best-of-three. Once reinstated, Aurora did not drop a map before the final. They beat Pixel Lumina 2-0 in the second semi-final.
In the first semi-final, xXxMasterProMegaTeamxXx fell 2-1 to F9 EICAR. The French side had arrived at the qualifier in mixed form. F9 EICAR lost 0-2 to WIP Esports in VCL France: Revolution Stage 2 2026 and were twice beaten 1-2 by Mandatory. A 2-1 result against Esprit Shōnen was their only victory in that run.
The Elo power rankings show the gap on paper. F9 EICAR sit at rank 241, with a rating of 1405 and a 6-16 record in 22 rated matches. Aurora are unranked.
Two Berlin places await the playoff winners
The final still carried weight. Seeding for the playoff stage would be decided by the result, Insider Gaming reported.
The stakes are clear. Under Riot’s 2027 system, four non-partner teams will reach VCT EMEA Kickoff. Two will come from Europe, one from Türkiye and one from the Middle East and North Africa.
That leaves European hopefuls chasing places at a 12-team LAN event. VCT 2027 EMEA Kickoff will be run by Riot Games at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin.
The playoff field is not yet complete. The top four teams from each open qualifier move on, and the second Europe open qualifier is set for 12 to 15 November. The playoffs will use a modified double-elimination bracket of best-of-three matches, with a best-of-five grand final. The top two finishers earn places at VCT 2027 EMEA Kickoff, whose window runs from 14 January to 7 February.
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