New challengers and historic dynasties – VALORANT Champions hopefuls from EMEA

EMEA has long been Valorant’s tactical stronghold, and the region is getting another international event with this year’s VALORANT Champions in Paris. In 2025, four teams have risen above the rest: Team Liquid, GIANTX, Fnatic, and Team Heretics. Whether they qualified through sheer consistency or through a fairy tale run, they all want that home-ground crown.

Team Liquid: Steadily Ascending the EMEA Throne

Team Liquid stormed through VCT EMEA Stage 2 with focused execution and clutch discipline, earning the region’s #1 spot heading into Champions by winning the entire event. It wasn’t just Stage 2, however — they qualified for every international event throughout the year and had a top-three finish at every regional. But despite qualifying for every international, the team has failed to make it out of the Swiss stage in any of them so far.

Unlike teams powered purely by flashy fraggers, Liquid’s success stems from a steady, composed approach, managing to find consistent reads and trades as well as winning late rounds when it matters most. They claimed their Champions slot by winning Stage 2 and now face DRX in Paris, which should prove to be an exciting two teams with very methodical playstyles.

Standout Player: Liquid’s in-game leader nAts definitely wins this thanks to numerous clutches and, of course, his trademark lurks that often win rounds singlehandedly for his team. His ace clutch at 11-12 against BBL on map three of the upper finals brought TL into OT, which the team then converted. That said, the rest of TL are no slouches either, with Keiko, the team’s entry fragger ranking as one of EMEA’s top-rated players.

GIANTX: The EMEA Cinderella Story

GIANTX had an awful year until Stage 2, bombing out early at both Kickoff and Stage 1, the latter before the playoffs even commenced. However, thanks to how Champions qualifications worked, they had one more chance: make it to the grand final of Stage 2, something that other teams like BBL also needed to ensure they made it to Paris. And man, did GX deliver.

After bringing in ara and Flickless into the team, GX were able to make the Stage 2 playoffs, where Team Liquid kicked them into the lower bracket early on. They had to face off against the likes of FNATIC, NAVI, and finally BBL before they could have their grand final rematch against TL. Despite losing 3-0 in the finals, GX showed they have the necessary tenacity to make deep runs. Their first game is against Sentinels, NA’s third seed and a more consistent team through the year. Whether GX will be able to work the same magic at Paris that they did in Stage 2 remains to be seen.

Standout Player: Their primary entry fragger ara consistently posted a strong FKPR during Stage 2 and repeatedly opened rounds with key first kills. For instance, against BBL, he had 17 first kills across the series and an ACS of 303, the only player to cross the three hundred mark. His aggressive timing combined with the reliability of players like westside remains GX’s ticket to upset draws in Paris.

Fnatic: The European Constants, Still Missing a VALORANT Champions Trophy

Arguably the most successful core of all time, FNATIC qualified for Paris off the back of this very same consistency via circuit points. They started the year rough following two roster changes: crashies replacing Leo and Derke’s entry fragger role taken over by Ascension winner kaajak. They failed to qualify for Masters Bangkok but rebounded by winning Stage 1, then finishing second at both Masters Toronto and the EWC.

Headed into Stage 2, they still looked strong, but perhaps the lack of breaks between Toronto, EWC, and Stage 2 made things tougher, with the team failing to make a podium finish at the latest event. Still, their history at international LANs and their composure during high-pressure moments keeps them dangerous. In Paris, they’re set to clash with RRQ — their first dose of Pacific aggression after the Toronto finals.

Standout Player: Alfajer has the clutch gene as well as insane fragging power, as seen by his stats from Toronto. Though during Stage 2, both kaajak and Chronicle were also popping off.

Team Heretics: Second-place Curse Broken?

Team Heretics had a heartbreaking 2024, coming second not just at Masters Shanghai but also at Champions 2024. During Kickoff 2025, the team came third, narrowly missing out on Masters Bangkok. However, TH were able to make it to the finals of Stage 1, an event they once again came second in, qualifying them for Masters Toronto. At Toronto, they failed to finish on the podium, but they were able to finally win a trophy this year, pulling off a reverse sweep at EWC’s grand final to lift a trophy after years of trying.

While they didn’t make a deep enough run to qualify off of the Stage 2 Champions spots, Team Liquid’s win over BBL enabled Heretics to secure a Champs spot through circuit points. Los Niños must now stand up to North American titans G2 Esports in their Paris opener.

Standout Player:  Both RieNs and benjyfishy have looked consistent in terms of frag power and util impact during Stage 2. The entirety of Heretics is capable of stepping up when necessary, with both Wo0t and MiniBoo also contributing heavily to the scoreboard.