Team RA’AD kicked out of VCT Ascension EMEA 2025

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 03/10/2025

Riot Games has announced that VCL Mena Stage 2 champions Team RA’AD have been kicked out of Valorant Ascension EMEA.

Following APEKs and Gentle Mates’ relegations, this year’s tournament will see two teams promoted into VCT EMEA for 2026.

However, Egyptian organisation Team RA’AD have been kicked by Riot as they were ‘unable to comply with team ownership policies.’

As a result, Joblife have taken their place in the tournament as the team with the next-highest Ascension points.

Joblife had let most of its players go, having originally failed to qualify for the Ascension event.

However, it now seems that the original roster will return for the unexpected opportunity.

Meanwhile, Team RA’AD’s players have been left with nothing though no impact of their own.

One of Team RA’AD players, Yousef ‘Shniider’ Osama, took to Twitter to vent his frustrations:

“I’m just speechless.

“Playing for an entire year, months away from my family chasing my dream, and then something completely out of my hands fcks everything we were dreaming of as players.

“We can’t even play orgless or play under another org.”

Various fans seem to agree with him in that the squad, who earned their place, should be able to compete.

However, with two lucrative spots in VCT EMEA available, Riot can’t just hand those out to any organisation.

Meanwhile, another Team RA’AD player, Mohamed ‘shalaby’ Shalaby, also lamented the decision:

“Been chasing for five years to play on the biggest stages, and when I finally get a chance it went down the drain with something out of my hands.”

Valorant Ascension EMEA format

Last month, it was announced that this year’s VCT Ascension EMEA would be expanded to eight teams to accommodate for two promotion slots.

This year’s tournament will feature a GSL format with eight teams separated into two double-elimination groups of four.

From those groups, played in best-of-threes, two teams from each group will advance to an Ascension match – of which there will be two this year.

Two best-of-five series will be played in front of fans at the Riot Games arena to decide which two teams will be promoted into VCT EMEA for a year.

Then, the format will change again next year and Ascension will be cancelled.

As well as the announcement of Valorant Masters London 2026, Riot Games also confirmed VCT format changes coming next year.

Namely, that instead of competing to qualify for VCT, Challenger teams will have a chance to directly qualify for Valorant Champions 2026 instead.

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

In my seven years of esports writing, I've introuduced esports coverage to newspapers, interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, and driven viewers mad with the puns in my YouTube scripts. I'm most proud of the latter.

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