Movistar KOI was removed from VCT EMEA for a contract breach, and co-founder Ibai criticized Riot’s communication.
In a surprising turn of events, Riot Games has terminated its VCT EMEA partnership with Movistar KOI, citing a breach of the league’s contractual agreement by the Spanish organization. This news left everyone within the VALORANT community surprised.
VCT EMEA x Movistar KOI
In a statement shared on X on Sept. 6, Riot Games cited a "breach of the team’s contractual agreement with the league," though it did not go into detail about the reasons behind the decision. Riot confirmed that the move will not affect Movistar KOI’s participation in its other esports titles.
Starting in 2026, a new team will take KOI’s spot in the VCT EMEA, while the EMEA Ascension tournament will continue as planned, promoting the two best teams to the league.
But what happens to the players? The KOI roster will become free agents at the end of the season. With the VCT transfer window already closed, Riot will grant an exemption, allowing the players to be signed during a limited period. This special window will remain open until the official transfer window reopens.
Related articles
Ibai's update about the decision
Ibai "Ibai" Llanos, Spanish content creator, streamer, and co-founder of Movistar KOI, released a 10-minute video addressing the situation with VCT EMEA. In it, he revealed that Riot Games urgently contacted the organization on Sept. 5 (one day before the official information was released to the public) to inform them that KOI had been removed from the league.
The co-founder acknowledged the team’s poor management and underwhelming performance since 2022, when KOI first secured a slot in the VCT EMEA. While Ibai admitted he could understand Riot’s decision from a competitive standpoint, he criticized the company for handling communication poorly, noting that Riot gave KOI no prior warning before making such a critical decision.
In the video, Ibai also revealed that KOI had already secured a coach for the 2026 season, Kirian "Yaba" Martínez, a plan that will no longer move forward. "Nobody saw it coming because no one warned us at all," he stated.
Ibai speculated that Riot decided to reintegrate Gentle Mates, a team with a significant fan base and strong influence on VCT EMEA viewership, after the team had been relegated due to a poor performance earlier in the year. Riot Games has not confirmed this information.
Players' reactions
The announcement shocked the community. Several VCT EMEA pro players took to X to share their reactions. Team Heretics’ Mert "Wo0t" Alkan commented on the official post, writing "welcome back, Gentle Mates," while clarifying that it was "nothing disrespectful to KOI and its players, just a small criticism of why Riot made the decision."
Meanwhile, the Champions 2022 winner and current Karmine Corp IGL, Matias "Saadhak" Delipetro, expressed his sadness and called on Riot to provide explanations to the community. Other players like FNATIC Jake "Boaster" Howlett and Team Vitality's Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev expressed confusion in the official announcement comment section.
That's all for now. Stick around for more VALORANT news, guides, and updates on esports.gg.
