Riot remove PSG Talon from LCP and VCT due to “significant” payment delays
Riot Games has announced that PSG Talon’s partnership agreements with the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP) and Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Pacific have been terminated, removing the organisation from the league.
Riot’s action means that all of PSG Talon’s players will now enter free agency ahead of the 2026 season.
The decision follows the conclusion of League of Legends Worlds 2025, where PSG Talon finished 15th/16th following a 0-3 Swiss Stage record.
Why were PSG Talon removed from the LCP and VCT?
Riot stated that the decision was due to “Talon’s failure to operate in accordance with league standards, especially significant delays in payments to players and coaches.”
The League of Legends and Valorant developers claimed that the organisation had received multiple extensions in order to allow for payments, but “Talon was ultimately unable to fulfil the requirement on time to continue in the LCP.”
Riot have stated that they are exploring options regarding Talon’s replacement in the LCP, though it is unclear from the initial statement whether the replacement team would take a partnership slot or a Guest Slot in the league.
An existing option may be the promotion of another existing Regional League team, which missed promotion through the LCP Promotion 2026 tournament, such as Dino Saigon or Deep Cross Gaming.
For the VCT Pacific slot, Riot have explicitly stated that they will run an application process for the newly available partnership slot, stating, “Riot Games has sent invitations to a number of teams in APAC as part of a selective competitive application process to find a replacement team. We will provide an update when we have finalized the process.”
The news is yet another high-profile expulsion from Riot’s partnership system, following the removal of Movistar KOI from Valorant’s VCT circuit in September.
Following a short process, Gentle Mates were awarded the partnership slot in VCT EMEA, returning the organisation to the league following their 2025 relegation.
The news is a blow to the PSG Talon organisation, and its longstanding partnership with French football team, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Esports News UK spoke to Nadia Benmokhtar, Diversification & Merchandising Director at PSG, in October regarding the club’s diversification into the esports space.
At the time, Benmokhtar stated, “We have Talon in Asia, we have a very good relationship with them. We trust them when it comes to League of Legends.”
Whether that trust can remain after this incident remains to be seen, with the organisation now deprived of two of its most high-profile and successful esports.
PSG Talon react to LCP & VCT banishment
PSG Talon’s League of Legends division provided the following statement regarding their removal from the LCP, stating:
“Dear Talon Family,
It is with deep sadness and regret that we announce today our departure from League of Legends, following Riot’s removal of our team from the LCP.
We fully accept Riot’s decision and appreciate their continued efforts and collaboration over the past month to address outstanding issues. While we remain confident that these matters can be resolved, we understand and respect Riot’s need to proceed with this course of action.
Our current financial difficulties are primarily the result of several months of delays in funding from our current financing round, which was originally scheduled to be completed much earlier this year. These delays have significantly affected our esports business operations across the board.
TALON will be taking a step back from League of Legends Esports to reassess our future. We would like to thank all of our fans everywhere for their support throughout our entire journey.”
The same statement was shared on Talon’s Valorant account, regarding Valorant and the VCT.
Talon’s main account had previously shared that in August that it faced “administrative delays in prize pool distributions,” but had promised to make payments by the end of September.
Despite that promise, Riot’s ruling shows that PSG Talon still had outstanding payments as the org struggled to get on top of its finances.
Where do Talon’s players go?
PSG Talon’s rosters are now free agents, though it is unclear what options the team will have in the league and whether the next team to join the league will have spots available for the roster.
PSG Talon League of Legends were:
Huang ‘Azhi’ Shang-chih
Hung ‘Karsa’ Hau-hsuan
Huang ‘Maple’ Yi-tang
Lu ‘Betty’ Yu-hung
Lin ‘Woody’ Hung-yu
Certainly, the roster was amongst the most competitive in the LCP, ultimately leading to their three back-to-back Worlds appearances.
Despite being largely overshadowed in 2025 by the rapid growth of CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO), PSG Talon won all splits of the then PCS in 2024, before finishing second, third and third in the inaugural splits of the LCP.
Therefore, the players should be hot properties on the free agent market, and may upend existing rosters for some of their regional rivals.
The news closely follows the departure of CFO’s Support, Ling’Kaiwing’ Kai-wing, from the Taiwanese organisation.
PSG Talon Valorant were:
Thanamethk ‘Crws Mahatthananuyut
Jittana ‘JitboyS’ Nokngam
Papaphat ‘Primmie’ Sriprapha
Anupong ‘thyy’ Preamsak
Tanate ‘killua’ Teerasawad
PSG Talon finished 4th, 5th/6th, and 3rd in the VCT 2025 Pacific splits, showing strong performances and taking notable wins against T1, Nongshim RedForce, and DRX.
Their third-place finish at VCT 2025 Pacific Stage 2 ended after a thrilling 2-3 defeat against a strong RRQ side, showing the latent potential of their largely young Thai roster.
The national nature of the roster may prove an impediment to picking up individual players who are used to communicating in their native tongue, yet the talent is clearly there if another organisation wants it.
However, the team may have the chance to stay together. Heard of Esports for VCT Pacific, Jake Sin, had stated intend to find a new partner that “resonates with our Thai community,” implying that an org that can accommodate a Thai roster may be preferable.
Riot Games’ statements in full:
Riot Games LCP communications stated:
“Riot Games has made the decision to terminate Talon’s partnership agreement with the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP) and remove the team from the league. This decision follows Talon’s failure to operate in accordance with league standards, especially significant delays in payments to players and coaches.
After being made aware of delayed payments to players and other financial issues, Riot Games worked closely with Talon for a sustained period, including multiple extensions, to give the team space to demonstrate organization sustainability and resolve their financial situation, but Talon was ultimately unable to fulfil the requirement on time to continue in the LCP.
The individual players and coaches affected have been informed and are allowed to explore other opportunities within our esports ecosystem during the Free Agency period.
Riot Games is exploring replacement teams to fill Talon’s slot in LCP. We will provide an update when we have finalized the process.
We acknowledge the challenging situation that Talon and their players face and appreciate your understanding and patience towards all parties, as we navigate this transition.”
Riot’s Valorant division stated:
“Riot Games has made the decision to terminate TALON Esports’ partnership agreement with the VALORANT Champions Tour and remove the team from VCT Pacific. This decision follows TALON’s failure to operate and manage its team in accordance with league standards, including a pattern of significantly overdue payments to players and an inability to demonstrate sufficient financial capacity to continue participating in the VCT.
After being made aware of delayed payments to players and other financial issues, Riot Games worked closely with TALON for over a month, and even granted extensions to allow TALON to demonstrate material improvement, but TALON was ultimately unable to meet the standards required to continue as a partner in the VCT.
The individual players affected have been informed and are allowed to explore other opportunities within our esports ecosystem.
Riot Games has sent invitations to a number of teams in APAC as part of a selective competitive application process to find a replacement team. We will provide an update when we have finalized the process.
We appreciate your understanding and patience as we navigate this transition.”
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