FUT Esports FUT Esports Europe Rank #7 xeus Doğan Gözgen MrFaliN Furkan Yeğen yetujey Eray Budak AtaKaptan Ata Tan qRaxs Doğukan Balaban kept its run alive at the VCT 2025 EMEA Kickoff, beating FNATIC FNATIC Europe Rank #5 crashies Austin Roberts Boaster Jake Howlett kaajak Kajetan Haremski Chronicle Timofey Khromov Alfajer Emir Ali Beder 2-0 in the lower bracket. These two top teams from 2024 both ended up facing each other with the risk of elimination, but FUT ended up on top and reached the lower bracket semifinal.

The series began on Abyss, with both teams opting for the Yoru and Astra. The big difference between the two teams was FUT using Vyse while Fnatic kept its double duelist composition. The first pistol round was a tone-setter from FUT, as the new signing xeus got a Sheriff ace. Then, when both teams got access to rifles, Fnatic focused on getting space mid to execute clean hits on B site. Fnatic frequently hit the A site on attack in their previous dominant win over Gentle Mates Gentle Mates Europe Rank #35 K4DAVRA Thomas Johner RobbieBk Robbie Boerkamp Minny Patrik Hušek Zyppan Pontus Eek Click Haydem Ali , but this Abyss attack was focused on exploiting mid and the B site defense from FUT, with Chronicle showing off his clutch factor with a 1v3 win in the post-plant.

Chronicle wins a 1v3 post-plant with an Operator over FUT Esports.

FUT was at risk of a significant deficit, but once again xeus got the ace on Yoru to keep the defense half respectable. Fnatic led 7-5 at the half, but a pistol win from FUT quickly led to a 7-7 tie. Fnatic roared to ten rounds, but FUT followed right back after to reach 10-10 with the team's mid pushes proving tough for Fnatic to defend. All it took for FUT to win was another amazing round from xeus, who ended the map with 25 kills, and FUT closed out Abyss 13-10.

Map two was Fracture, with FUT running their variation of the Neon composition with Cypher, KAY/O, Breach, and Astra. For Fnatic, it was Alfajer on Chamber once again while kaajak chose Raze. FUT won their third pistol of the series to start map two, with qRaxs getting four kills, but Fnatic got the rare flawless eco afterward thanks to some clutch Headhunter shots from Alfajer. crashies was holding strong on his own for Fnatic, while AtaKaptan was frying on Astra, and both teams remained even at 6-6.

Fnatic needed its first pistol win of the series, but FUT remained stout and won its fourth straight pistol. There was no flawless eco this time around, as FUT even managed to convert the bonus round to silence the hopes of Fnatic.

FUT converts a crucial bonus round against Fnatic on Fracture.

The defense from FUT was insurmountable, as the map ended 13-6. The star of the series was xeus, who began the series with an ace and ended it with 40 kills and 248 ACS. In the post-match interview, xeus said, “It feels very good [to beat Fnatic]; I was feeling it today. We needed to make changes and try something new, and it worked actually.”

His performance on Fracture was a small step down from Abyss, but considering that he only knew he was playing Neon on Fracture before the match began and had zero practice on it, he performed amazingly to eliminate the experienced Fnatic team.

With this win, FUT Esports will face the victor of the BBL Esports BBL Esports Europe Rank #18 Jamppi Elias Olkkonen sociablEE Volkan Yonal PROFEK Dawid Święć vakk Vakaris Bebravičius stand-in LewN Burak Alkan and Team Liquid Team Liquid Europe Rank #10 paTiTek Patryk Fabrowski kamyk Maks Rychlewski nAts Ayaz Akhmetshin Keiko Georgio Sanassy kamo Kamil Frąckowiak match for a chance to reach the lower bracket final. As for Fnatic, they are eliminated from Kickoff as well as Masters Bangkok with the loss.