EMEA has three representatives at the tournament: FPX, current Stage 2 Masters champions, Fnatic, and Team Liquid. All of these squads are looking to follow in the footsteps of Acend, the EMEA team who snatched the inaugural VCT Champions title in 2021. 

Bringing the trophy back to EMEA would prove once more that the region is the most dominant, but do our VALORANT icons think they can do it? Well, the answer is pretty obvious, isn’t it?

FPX: The team with targets on their back

It goes without saying that all eyes are on FPX. Given their slow but steady rise to the top, the squad is very much on fire after their Stage 2 Masters win. The flip side of that, though, is that other regions will be looking to shut them down - something Lauren ‘Pansy’ Scott highlighted in our exclusive interview.

Turns out, however, that they refuse to bow under the weight of the title, with coach Erik ‘d00mbr0s’ Sandgren stating “we will approach every single match the same as always. The key is to not overthink or overcomplicate anything. The only thing that matters right now is the next matchup and the preparation overall with the team.

“I think teams will watch our gameplay and VODs much more closely than before,” he continues. “They will study how we play, so obviously we can use this to our advantage by changing our gameplans.”

While he cites 100 Thieves, Fnatic, and OpTic Gaming as FPX’s main threats, he confesses that their mind isn’t set on winning the whole tournament. Instead, they’ve set their eyes on every individual match, as all of these individual skirmishes are essential to scoring a top seed.

“We will make sure that we work as hard as possible for every match that we play. If that results in a tournament win then we would be very happy,” he states. “But it is not the focus, the focus is what is right in front of us and what we need to do. Winning a tournament can only come as a result of hard work and focus.”

Fnatic: The team with a point to prove

One of FPX’s main rivals, however, is fellow EMEA team Fnatic. Boasting countless flawless runs, a plethora of near misses, and some serious dance moves, the boys in black and orange have become quite the phenomenon. While they haven’t lifted a Masters or Champions trophy yet, coach Jacob ‘mini’ Harris believes this is their time to shine. 

“We finished fourth [at Stage 2 Masters] but for us, this was a bit of a disappointment in terms of both the result and the performance. Simply put we didn’t play as well as we should have. We have such high expectations of our performance that we are confident we are always going to do well… but who wants to just ‘do well?’ We want to win.”

Ultimately, EMEA rivals FPX knocked them out of the tournament, and their sights are very much set on (playful) vengeance.

“One loss out of our previous five… the odds aren’t that bad!” he jokes. “Seriously though, FPX vs Fnatic is always a banger series –  we share all the elements of what makes great VALORANT teams: structure, leadership, and some of the best players in the game.

“They won a stacked event despite a few unfortunate circumstances, so of course, they are the biggest threat. They seemed to evolve into their final form at Copenhagen and it’s just about whether they can continue.”

He does highlight that it’s not worth underestimating other teams, however. “With that being said the beautiful thing about VALORANT at this level is EVERY team concerns me. The right day can allow for the win conditions of any of these teams to win. 

“But no matter how much we respect them we FEAR/NONE.”

Team Liquid: The dark horse in a tight race

Team Liquid hasn’t quite had the 2022 run they’d have liked. Crashing out of Stage 1 Masters early, then failing to earn a spot at Stage 2, the team has struggled to make the impact fans know they’re capable of. 

Back in blue post-LCQ, coach Emil ‘eMIL’ Sandgren (FPX d00mbr0s’ twin brother, coincidentally) states “we are coming in hot straight from LCQ. We come with that momentum still being ‘ON’ from the competition which is a great advantage to have.”

He does confess “on the other hand, we have had basically no prep-time for Champions. Because of this, we will have to rely on us playing very well together and thinking more in the moment than the other teams.” eMIL believes “any LCQ team comes in as a dark horse. There is less prep-time and most teams can scout fresh stuff you just did, there is less of an expectation for you to do good,” eMIL and the team are determined to make a real dent in the competition.

While he sees FPX as his main competition, he states “personally I want to prove that I am the better twin (which I am), and on the other hand I think FPX is the team to beat in this tournament. Them being the last Masters winners, I think everyone wants to take them down.”

And he believes that Liquid can and will do it. Not only are they “the best team at table tennis which is a huge advantage,” he believes that with “a lot of hard work, late nights, and TONS of confidence” the squad can and will take the Champions title.

VALORANT Champions 2022 runs from August 31 to September 18, with 16 teams from across the globe set to duke it out for the title in Istanbul! Whether EMEA emerges victorious remains unseen, but our three representatives are leaping at the opportunity to bring the trophy back for the second time running.