Gentle Mates are returning to VCT EMEA after being promoted following MKOI’s removal due to a contract violation.
In early August 2025, Gentle Mates, a French esports team, was removed from the VCT EMEA league after finishing with 3 wins and 10 losses in the main tournament. Shortly after, in September, Riot Games ended its agreement with Movistar KOI, opening up a spot for a new team to compete.
Gentle Mates rejoins VCT EMEA
Okay, so Riot dropped a bomb on us back on September 6th, 2025 – Movistar KOI got kicked out of the league because they broke their contract. It was a bummer, but then we found out on October 7th that Gentle Mates was taking their spot! It’s kinda wild considering they were just relegated two months before, but hey, a chance is a chance, right?
MKOI didn’t make a formal statement, but they did share a clip from Ibai Llanos, a co-founder, talking about potentially bringing Gentle Mates back into the organization. Ibai initially hinted that removing MKOI was a planned step to eventually re-integrate them. However, he also admitted that the team hadn’t been well-managed and hadn’t performed up to expectations since 2022.
As a big fan, it’s awesome to see how much support Gentle Mates has! Ibai mentioned they have a huge fanbase and really impact the viewership numbers for VCT EMEA, and the stats back that up. Looking at Esports Charts, three out of the five most-watched matches in Stage 2 were theirs! Their match against Team Heretics was a massive draw, peaking at over 200,000 viewers – it was the second most-watched match of the whole stage, only beaten by the incredible playoff match between BBL and Team Liquid which hit almost 274,000 viewers!
The selection process
Riot Games said the selection process was very detailed. They evaluated nine teams using a complete set of standards. According to a press release, ten teams from the VALORANT Esports EMEA region applied, including existing teams and those hoping to qualify for the 2025 VALORANT Ascension. The decision was made after a competitive review of all applications.
Riot Games explained how teams were chosen to be fair and open. Because of this, Gentle Mates had the best overall score.
- Organisational goals for the 2026 season
- Collaboration, strategic alignment, and channel strategy
- Operational readiness
- Competitive plans and player support systems
- Community resonance and ability to generate fandom
The French esports organization will be a partner in the league until the end of 2026. Following the VALORANT Ascension EMEA tournament later this year, two more teams will join the league, keeping the total number of teams at 12 for the VCT EMEA league.
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2025-10-07 20:41