Karmine Corp Wins VCT EMEA Stage 2 After Defeating Team Liquid 3-1

Karmine Corp enter 31 August 2026 as VCT EMEA Stage 2 champions after defeating Team Liquid 3-1 in the Grand Final, giving the French organisation its first VCT trophy and EMEA’s No. 1 seed for Champions Shanghai. KC won Sunset, Ascent and Summit, while Liquid’s only map came on Lotus.

The title completed a sharp reversal from Stage 1, when KC went winless across five group matches and finished 11th-12th. Team Liquid still secured EMEA’s No. 2 seed through its runner-up finish and will make a second consecutive Champions appearance.

THE ROAD TO THE TOP BUILT BRICK BY BRICK 👑

Karmine Corp are your #VCTEMEA Stage 2 Winners! pic.twitter.com/aG5JJUJ4MB

— VALORANT Esports EMEA (@vct_emea) August 30, 2026

Karmine Corp Beat Team Liquid 3-1 in the Grand Final

KC used its double-map ban advantage to remove Split and Abyss before the best-of-five moved through Sunset, Ascent, Lotus and Summit. The final scores were 13-7 on Sunset, 13-6 on Ascent, 7-13 on Lotus and 13-10 on Summit..

Map	Winner	Score
Sunset	Karmine Corp	13-7
Ascent	Karmine Corp	13-6
Lotus	Team Liquid	13-7
Summit	Karmine Corp	13-10

Liquid entered the final on a four-series and nine-map winning streak, while also carrying the experience of winning VCT EMEA Stage 2 in 2025. KC nevertheless controlled the opening half of the series and reached series point after only two maps.

Sunset and Ascent Put KC One Map From the Title

Sunset began with KC racing to a 6-1 lead before Liquid recovered to tie the half 6-6. The reset did not last into the second half, as KC won seven of the next eight rounds to close the map 13-7. Dastan “dos9” Zhumagali also produced a four-kill round to convert a KC bonus during the map.

Ascent paired two teams that had both been unbeaten on the map during Stage 2. KC built an 8-4 defensive half despite losing the pistol rounds, then answered Liquid’s second-half pistol with a five-Classic eco conversion that stopped Liquid from building momentum. From there, KC finished the map 13-6 and moved within one map of the championship.

Read More: VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026 Qualified Teams

Liquid Answer on Lotus Before KC Recover From 7-0 on Summit

Liquid prevented the sweep on Lotus, handing KC its first loss on the map in Stage 2. After limiting Karmine Corp to five attack rounds, Liquid pushed through its own attacking half to win 13-7. Kicks and kamo produced the biggest fragging output for Liquid with 23 kills each.

That response carried into Summit, where Liquid opened with seven straight rounds and repeatedly found success attacking the A site. KC recovered enough rounds to cut the halftime deficit to 7-5, then won the second-half pistol and anti-eco to erase the lead entirely.

With the map level again, LeWN became the main entry threat on KC’s attack while N4RRATE and SUYGETSU found openings around Liquid’s defence. Karmine Corp eventually reached 12-10 and converted the next opportunity to take Summit 13-10, ending Liquid’s push towards a fifth map.

dos9 Wins Grand Finals MVP

Dastan “dos9” Zhumagali finished the series with 70 kills and a 1.28 rating, both the highest marks in the Grand Final. His strongest statistical work came across the opening two maps, where KC built the 2-0 advantage that Liquid ultimately could not overturn.

The definition of locking in 💪

Your #VCTEMEA Stage 2 OMODA Finals MVP: @dos9gg pic.twitter.com/tVQNq82bjK

— VALORANT Esports EMEA (@vct_emea) August 30, 2026

Marshall “N4RRATE” Massey followed with 67 kills and a 1.16 rating for KC. On Liquid’s side, kamo finished with 58 kills and Kicks added 57, including their 23-kill performances on Lotus. dos9 was subsequently named the OMODA Grand Finals MVP.

ZE1SH’s Promotion Kept Karmine Corp’s Roster Together

KC’s Stage 2 run came after a 0-5 Stage 1 group campaign that left the team 11th-12th. Head coach ENGH later departed for Fnatic, but Karmine Corp did not rebuild its playing five. Assistant coach ZE1SH was promoted to head coach instead, entering Stage 2 with the same roster.

The result was a 4-1 group record that put KC first in Group Omega, followed by a perfect 3-0 playoff run. Rather than a roster overhaul driving the recovery, the same core that failed to win a Stage 1 group match finished Stage 2 without losing a playoff series.

Karmine Corp Complete the Turnaround From 0-5 to EMEA Champions

This is Karmine Corp’s first VCT trophy. The organisation previously won VCT EMEA Kickoff in 2024, but that event victory did not come with a trophy. It is also the first VCT title for dos9, whose previous year with BOOM Esports included an 0-5 Pacific group stage before he later endured another 0-5 group run with KC in Stage 1.

Other members of the roster reached their own milestones. LeWN qualified for his first Champions after falling short of the global stage with BBL Esports last year, while SUYGETSU lifted his first title since Masters Copenhagen in the pre-partnership era. N4RRATE returned to the organisation where he first established himself after competing with Sentinels in 2025 and beginning 2026 with the North American team.

ZE1SH has been with Karmine Corp since 2022 and won the regional title in his first split as head coach. Hazem “avez” Khaled, who began his VCT career with KC in 2024, will also head to the organisation’s first Champions appearance as an EMEA champion.

Champions Shanghai Is Next for EMEA’s Top Four

Karmine Corp will enter Champions Shanghai as EMEA’s No. 1 seed, with Team Liquid taking No. 2 after the Grand Final. FUT Esports and Team Vitality complete the region’s four-team field as the third and fourth seeds.

For KC, Shanghai will be the organisation’s first appearance at VALORANT Champions. Team Liquid will make its second straight trip to the season-ending event when the EMEA representatives move on to Shanghai next month.