Team Liquid Team Liquid Europe Rank #28 paTiTek Patryk Fabrowski kamyk Maks Rychlewski nAts Ayaz Akhmetshin Keiko Georgio Sanassy kamo Kamil Frąckowiak has eliminated BBL Esports BBL Esports Europe Rank #19 Jamppi Elias Olkkonen sociablEE Volkan Yonal PROFEK Dawid Święć vakk Vakaris Bebravičius stand-in LewN Burak Alkan , keeping their dark horse run in VCT EMEA Kickoff alive as they fight for a place at Masters Bangkok. Both teams exceeded expectations thus far, with Liquid now aiming to redeem themselves after failing to qualify for any international events in 2024.

Liquid selected Bind for their map pick, opting for a double-initiator composition featuring Skye, Gekko, and Viper, while BBL opted for Vyse, Sage, and Tejo. Liquid started strong by securing the first pistol round, but BBL quickly countered by winning the following eco round. Liquid regained control with unstoppable site executes, winning five of the next six rounds. A thrifty from BBL earned them a couple of rounds, but a heroic 1v4 clutch from kamo allowed Liquid to close the first half with an 8-4 lead.

BBL began to close the gap in the second half, winning the pistol round, the following eco, and even converting their bonus round. With only one round separating the teams, a couple of hero rifles from Team Liquid stopped the bleeding in Round 16. Just two rounds away from losing the map, BBL regained momentum, tying the game at 11-11. Round 23 proved decisive for Liquid, as they finally reached match point and ultimately closed out the map. Despite being on the losing side, sociablEE stood out with a 1.49 rating on Sage, while kamo and Keiko delivered solid performances for Liquid.

kamo spearheads an excellent attack for Liquid

Moving to Pearl, BBL opted for a comp featuring Yoru and Chamber, while Team Liquid selected Jett and Tejo. The first half turned out to be one-sided, with BBL starting strong by winning the pistol round and the following eco. While it seemed like BBL would cleanly convert their bonus round, a heroic 1v3 Guardian clutch from kamyk kept Liquid in the game. Liquid briefly took the lead by winning the next two rounds, but these would end up being their last of the half. BBL's post-plants and gunplay, including a vakk 3k in Round 11, proved insurmountable for Liquid's defense, as BBL racked up round after round to close the half with a commanding 9-3 lead.

kamyk saves the bonus round for Liquid

The game seemed all but over after BBL won the second pistol round, but a force buy from Liquid in the following eco gave the squad a lifeline back into the map. Solid buy rounds allowed Liquid to close the gap slowly but could not stop BBL from advancing to match point. A crucial 1v2 clutch from LewN in Round 22 sealed the deal, ending Liquid's comeback attempt and tying the series.

A brilliant clutch to close the map

With elimination on the line, it was inevitable that the decider map, Split, would go the distance. BBL won the first pistol round behind a LewN 3k, but a victory in the bonus round shifted momentum toward Liquid, who capitalized by winning the next three rounds and punishing BBL's early aggression. After a few successful retakes, BBL managed to even out the half at 6-6.

Moving to their attack side, it seemed like BBL's offense would be unstoppable after securing the pistol round and converting the bonus. However, Liquid's victory in the first full buy during Round 17 proved to be the turning point, as they won the next seven rounds to close out the map 13-10.

Liquid advance to the top four of Kickoff, securing at least one Champions Point, and will now face FUT Esports FUT Esports Europe Rank #8 xeus Doğan Gözgen MrFaliN Furkan Yeğen yetujey Eray Budak AtaKaptan Ata Tan qRaxs Doğukan Balaban for a podium finish.

EMEA Kickoff will crown its champion next week, starting with the following matches: