Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
Team Vitality advanced to the Champions Shanghai Grand Final, besting 100 Thieves 3-1 in the Lower Bracket Final to set up a third matchup against LOUD to determine who sits atop the Valorant world to end 2026.
In an interview during Masters London with Ult Orb’s Entree, Vitality head coach PAL spoke on EMEA’s trophy drought, one that he was sure that he could end.
“I’m confident,” he said. “If I wasn’t confident, I’d be in the wrong job, and I’d be in the wrong place.”
Expectations have been the theme of Vitality’s entire 2026 season, having entered the year with the title of EMEA’s superteam.
“I wouldn’t say it adds any pressure for us, we know that narrative’s there,” PAL said after the Lower Final win. “It’s a point of pride for those of us that it matters to, and it’s not something that others are bothered about.”
Speaking on expectations, in-game leader Jamppi, in response to a question from freelance journalist Sierra “zhobiii” Frisbee, shared his stance on the superteam title.
“I don’t think anybody of us ever cared of the public image at all,” he said, before being interrupted by Chronicle, who said that he has. “Actually, I remember Chronicle saying a lot of the time, ‘Guys, we are not the super team as we are supposed to be.’”
The team’s first appearance came at Project Blender in the offseason, where an early loss to Eternal Fire and a later loss again to the Turkish squad cemented a third-place finish in the event.
As things stand, FNATIC’s trophy-lifting run at Masters Tokyo was the last time that EMEA brought home an international trophy. There have been many close calls, however, including Team Heretics at Masters Shanghai and Champions Seoul, and FNATIC at Masters Toronto and Champions Paris.
“I’m happy that we get to show that the region is capable of a lot more than many have put us down for,” he said. “I know there’s gonna be a lot of fans that are desperate after, what, three years now, without a trophy coming back. I think there’s a lot of people that’ll be very excited, very surprised along the way.”
PAL also took some time to poke some fun, jabbing at the fact that his team has three former FNATIC players.
“It’s not bad for an academy team to get this far,” he said.
He added: “You look at the guys that you’ve got here, you’ve got the experience, you’ve got the skill, you’ve got the talent, and if you are gonna be watching at 7, 8, 9 a.m. tomorrow morning your time, these are the boys to get behind, because tomorrow might be a very special day for EMEA.”
One day earlier, PAL acknowledged that his team’s top-three finish, which is already the team’s best-ever finish at an international, was “fantastic,” but the team is clearly set on more.
“Job’s not finished,” Jamppi said. “We go tomorrow, and I’m sure all of the EMEA teams are hate-watching us, so that would be extra nice.”
Team Vitality’s third date with LOUD will be the highest-stakes matchup yet, with Valorant’s most prestigious trophy on the line. The match will take place on October 18 at 11 p.m. PST/3 a.m. EST, or 3 p.m. local time.
