Just two weeks before the start of the 2025 VCT EMEA Ascension tournament, Riot Games has announced that Egyptian organisation Team RA’AD has been removed from the event due to non-compliance with team ownership policies. Their spot will now be filled by Joblife, the next eligible team based on Ascension Points.

pic.twitter.com/2SQqTLpF53

— VALORANT Esports EMEA (@valesports_emea) October 3, 2025

Team RA’AD Responds

Team RA’AD addressed the situation shortly after, expressing disappointment while maintaining that the decision came down to policy disagreements rather than lack of preparation.

Official Statement⚠️ pic.twitter.com/WgrjpsUoKs

— RA’AD⚡👑 (@TEAMRAAD) October 3, 2025

For RA’AD, this decision cuts short what had been a strong year. The Egyptian side earned their Ascension qualification through wins at MENA Resilience North Africa and Levant Split 1 and 2, even after narrowly missing out on EMEA Stage 3. This would have been their second Ascension appearance, after first competing in 2023.

Joblife Joins the Ascension Lineup

Meanwhile, Joblife, a French organisation with experience at the VCT level, will take RA’AD’s place. The roster includes two players currently on loan from partnered VCT teams and will open their group stage against Turkey’s ULF Esports, alongside Enterprise Esports from Poland and DNSTY from Italy.

This year’s EMEA Ascension will feature eight teams, divided into two Champions-style groups, with the top squads advancing to the playoffs.

Community Reactions

The decision has sparked major backlash online. Players, coaches, and fans across regions criticised Riot for removing RA’AD so close to the tournament’s start.

RA’AD player Shniider wrote on X.

i’m just speechless
playing for an entire year months away from my family chasing my dream and then something completely out of my hand fcks everything we were dreaming of as a players, we cant even play orgless or play under anther org.
الحمدلله علي كل شئ https://t.co/hDzVJLzPam

— Shniider (@Shniider) October 3, 2025

Other figures echoed similar frustration, arguing that players shouldn’t be punished for their organisation’s issues.

“RA’AD as an organisation is terrible, but don’t punish the players,” one community post read. “Let them play under a different organisation. It’s not fair to the players and the staff.”

My friends hard work for 3 years straight basically went on the ground, and they lost the spot of the most important tournament of their lives, please give them a tryout and they won’t disappoint, there is alot of hidden gems in MENA, open your eyes https://t.co/O9KecQ0Nod

— KC avez (@AvezValo) October 3, 2025

Still, not everyone agreed. Some fans defended Riot’s decision, pointing to ongoing concerns around MENA circuit integrity and inflated points systems. Others bluntly celebrated the swap, saying “W, all is right in the end,” and “Joblife is ascending my guy. Something MENA will never achieve.”

Regardless of where fans stand, the situation has reignited debate about regional balance and policy enforcement within Riot’s Ascension system, and whether last-minute disqualifications like this hurt competitive integrity more than they help it.

The post Team RAAD Dropped from VCT EMEA Ascension, Joblife Steps In as Fans Call Decision “Unfair” appeared first on Shane the Gamer.