Lea is an esports journalist with too many interests and too little time. Covering esports stories for more than 3 years, she likes to spend her days (and nights) watching and analysing competitive VALORANT. Lea is also deeply invested in DEI issues and promoting mental health awareness within her industry.
Olivia Richman is a seasoned esports journalist who has worked with Inven Global, Esports Illustrated, Esports.gg, and more. As an editor and writer at Esports Insider, she loves telling unique esports stories, especially within the FGC. When not working and gaming, Olivia loves collecting Kirby plush, eating sushi, and driving her cars at the track.
Image Credit: Riot Games For many years, Fnatic was considered the strongest team in the VCT EMEA circuit. With two international trophies under its belt and countless global VCT appearances, Fnatic’s consistency and regional dominance stood out amid EMEA’s glaring struggles compared to other VCT regions.
Heading into the 2026 season off the back of two top-2 international finishes last year, Fnatic had high aspirations once again. However, in an unexpected turn of events, the team failed to qualify for any of the three global VCT competitions this year.
This left the VCT community in shock: What happened to Fnatic this season? What led the leader of a once-called “one team region” to miss out on VALORANT Champions for the first time in VCT history?
On September 8th, Fnatic stunned fans by announcing it would allow its VALORANT players to explore other opportunities. Fans were immediately anxious since this includes Jake “Boaster” Howlett , whom many expressed was the backbone and face of the team. Losing Boaster would be a huge blow… But Fnatic had already decided that this was the right direction for the team and its players.
“This doesn’t represent a final decision on any one individual’s future with Fnatic, but gives all sides a chance to explore what a future apart could look like before we settle on a direction of travel for 2027. We will continue to work closely with all of the team throughout the offseason and will share further updates as things progress,” Fnatic wrote.
Disclaimer from the author: As fans, viewers, or analysts, we only have limited insight into an esports team’s performance. We can draw conclusions from on-stage showings, interviews, and other public statements, but ultimately, we don’t know the behind-the-scenes conversations and decisions needed to piece together the full picture.
Moreover, a team’s or player’s performance never merits any kind of hateful response. All analysis or feedback should be voiced in a constructive and respectful manner.
Image Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games Before the start of the 2026 VCT season, Fnatic was faced with the impossible challenge of finding a replacement for Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov , one of the roster’s longest-standing members and one of the most accomplished professional players in the history of VALORANT Esports.
Like former Fnatic member Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev one year prior, Chronicle made the decision to switch to Team Vitality. Fnatic chose former Gentle Mates player Sylvain “Veqaj” Pattyn to fill Chronicle’s shoes. Veqaj was a bit of an unknown variable to many Fnatic fans but left a positive impression during the organization’s off-season event with INZONE .
In VCT Kickoff’s new triple-elimination format, Fnatic dropped down t…