Welcome to EgamersWorld.
The upcoming Fnatic vs Team Liquid matchup in Mid Bracket Round 2 of the VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 EMEA Kickoff brings together two teams aiming to regain momentum after the opening stage of the tournament. With both sides still searching for consistency, this series becomes an important test of form and adaptability. High stakes and limited room for mistakes suggest a tense and competitive showdown.
Let’s take a closer look at each team’s current situation and what to expect from this matchup.
Let’s dive in.
How the bookies view it: Fnatic favored
Bookmakers slightly favor Fnatic with odds of 1.73, while Team Liquid are priced at 2.03. The difference isn’t big, which suggests a fairly close match where Liquid still have a realistic chance to win.
Fnatic form. What result can be expected from Fnatic
Fnatic are a European VALORANT esports team and one of the most established organizations in the VCT EMEA ecosystem. After reaching the Grand Final at VALORANT Champions 2025 in Paris and performing strongly at Masters Toronto 2025, expectations around the roster remain high. While Fnatic consistently make deep runs at international tournaments, their 2025 season showed that victories are not guaranteed, as the team fell short against other elite squads and experienced occasional setbacks in regional play.
- Fnatic roster: Boaster, Alfajer, kaajak, Crashies, Veqaj.
The core of the team continues to revolve around Boaster and Crashies, providing leadership and strategic stability. Alfajer remains the primary fragger, while kaajak adds flex and duelist capabilities. Veqaj, a recent addition, replaces Chronicle and brings fresh tactical options, signaling Fnatic’s intent to balance experience with new talent.
Throughout 2025, Fnatic demonstrated resilience and competitiveness at the highest level. They reached the finals of VALORANT Champions 2025, narrowly losing 2–3 to NRG, and finished as runners-up at Masters Toronto 2025 against Paper Rex. However, the team experienced occasional vulnerability in regional competitions, including a surprising loss to BBL Esports in the VCT EMEA Stage 2 playoffs. Despite these setbacks, Fnatic consistently reached playoff stages, proving their ability to challenge top-tier opponents like G2 Esports, Sentinels, and Paper Rex.
The team’s strategic identity relies heavily on Boaster’s IGL leadership and mid-round calls, while Alfajer’s aggressive plays and kaajak’s flexibility allow them to execute diverse strategies. The integration of Veqaj will be crucial in 2026, as the team works to maintain synergy and avoid the lapses that cost them regional dominance in 2025.
Overall, Fnatic enter 2026 as one of the strongest EMEA rosters with the potential to reach top-4 positions in major international events. While a championship win is not guaranteed due to the depth of global competition, Fnatic remain a dangerous opponent capable of deep playoff runs and challenging any team on their day.
Fnatic Map Pool
Fnatic has a fairly solid map pool, with Lotus, Ascent, Haven, Bind, and Split as their main maps. Lotus is their strongest map, where they play confidently and often close matches with an advantage, like at Champions 2025 against DRX (13‑5). Ascent and Bind are also regular picks and let the team be flexible, though results on Ascent can vary. Haven and Split are maps where they can show their strengths, especially on defense, but performances are less consistent. Secondary maps like Abyss, Sunset, Pearl, Icebox, Corrode, and Fracture are chosen less often, and results there are less stable. Overall, Fnatic’s pool is flexible, but weaker on secondary maps, which opponents can sometimes use in the veto phase.
Liquid form. What result can be expected from Liquid
Team Liquid are a European VALORANT team competing in the VCT EMEA region. Heading into 2026, Liquid are going through a rebuilding phase after an uneven 2025 season. They showed strong form at the regional level, highlighted by their win at VCT 2025: EMEA Stage 2, but struggled to keep the same level internationally, exiting early at Masters and Champions. Because of this, expectations around the team are more cautious, with the focus on stability and gradual improvement rather than immediate titles.
- Team Liquid roster: nAts, kamo, MiniBoo, purp0, wayne.
The team is centered around nAts, who remains the main leader and defensive backbone, with kamo adding consistency. The newer players — MiniBoo, purp0, and wayne — bring fresh energy and flexibility, but are still adjusting to top-tier competition. Under coach LohaN, Liquid are clearly trying to refresh their style and fix issues that held them back in 2025.
During 2025, Liquid were reliable in EMEA but less convincing on the international stage. They won Stage 2 in the region and placed high in several EMEA events, yet finished outside the top contenders at Masters Toronto and VALORANT Champions. These results suggest Liquid can beat most regional opponents, but still struggle against the very best teams in the world.
Overall, Liquid look like a solid EMEA playoff team going into 2026. They should be competitive in most matches and capable of deep regional runs, but international success will likely depend on how quickly the new lineup develops consistency and confidence against elite opponents.
Team Liquid Map Pool
Team Liquid’s map pool in VALORANT is built around the current competitive maps: Abyss, Bind, Breeze, Corrode, Haven, Pearl, and Split. They usually perform best on maps like Bind, Haven, and Ascent, where their structured play and team coordination shine. Maps like Breeze and Pearl are more situational picks, while Abyss and Corrode have been tougher for them, with lower win rates. Overall, Liquid focus on their strongest maps but are working to get more comfortable on the newer maps in the 2026 rotation.
Fnatic vs Team Liquid: Head-to-Head History
Fnatic and Team Liquid have a competitive history in VALORANT that slightly favors Fnatic. Historically, Fnatic have won about 75 % of their matches against Liquid, with an overall map score around 13–7. However, Team Liquid have had their moments, including a notable 3–1 win in the VCT 2023 EMEA Grand Final. In recent years, the rivalry has been more balanced: Fnatic beat Liquid 2–1 in May 2025 at VCT EMEA Stage 1, while Liquid returned the favor with a 2–0 win in August 2025 at Stage 2. Overall, Fnatic have the edge in the matchup, but Liquid remain capable of scoring important victories, making their encounters unpredictable and closely contested.
Predicted result of the match between Fnatic vs Team Liquid at VCT 2026: EMEA Kickoff
The upcoming match between Fnatic and Team Liquid in the VCT 2026 EMEA Kickoff is shaping up to be a close and competitive series. Fnatic enter as slight favorites, thanks to their experience and history of performing well in high-pressure matches, while Team Liquid are still finding their rhythm with a refreshed roster that has shown flashes of strong play. Recent head-to-head results show Fnatic generally have the edge, but Liquid have scored key wins in the past, proving they can push the favorites and make things unpredictable. Considering both teams’ current form and competitiveness, this series is likely to go the distance and be played across three maps, with each team taking at least one before a winner emerges.
Betting prediction: Total Over 2.5 Maps.
