The forever second-best team in EMEA now has an international championship.
After so many times of standing in the shadow of other teams, Team Heretics can finally lift a trophy as they are the EWC 2025 VALORANT champions. The inaugural year for VALORANT in the Esports World Cup concluded with Team Heretics finally besting their long-time nemesis, Fnatic.
Coming into this tournament, many pegged Fnatic as one of the possible EWC 2025 VALORANT champions. They were hot off the heels of a grand finals appearance in Master Toronto and looking for redemption.
Team Heretics, on the other hand, had an abysmal Master Toronto run. They had an early exit, leaving the tournament with zero game and match wins. This was a massive drop in comparison to their 2024 international performance, where they made it to the grand finals of both Masters Shanghai and Champions Seoul.
Still, Team Heretics didn’t let one bad tournament get to them as they came out swinging in EWC. Despite one shocking loss against America’s NRG, Team Heretics had a convincing group stage run. They took down China’s Titan Esports Club and the Pacific champions RRQ to make it to the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Fnatic were on a warpath as they went undefeated in their group. They would quickly dispatch EMEA’s Karmine Corp before getting sweet revenge against Paper Rex at the semifinals.
At the same time, Team Heretics continued to build momentum as they beat both BBL Esports and Gen.G Esports for the final clash with Fnatic. This was a repeat of the VCT 2025: EMEA Stage 1 grand finals, only this time things went differently.
Back in Europe, Fnatic had gotten the better of Team Heretics time and time again. Their Stage 1 grand finals bout ended with a 3-0 for Fnatic, but now it was Heretic’s time to shine. After a nail-biting, full five-game series, Team Heretics conquered their demons and defeated Fnatic 3-2. They made their mark on the international stage in spectacular fashion as they’re crowned the EWC 2025 VALORANT champions.
Banner photo from Team Heretics.