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Riot Games has revealed ten EMEA teams that have recently been accepted into the Valorant Partnership Program, introducing fans to some lesser-known yet promising names. KOI is one of those enigmatic organizations predicted to make a splash in the VCT EMEA league next year, and the side is slated to add three top players to their Valorant squad, as well as a top coach.
Riot Games was able to get thirty of the most significant corporations as VCT partners thanks to the franchising procedure. Ten clubs were picked from each region based on considerations such as sustainability, diversity, fanbase, and more. KOI appears to have met all the requirements for being a VCT partner and are well on their way to acquiring the best EMEA talents like Bogdan "Sheydos" Naumov.
KOI recruiting top Valorant talent from EMEA
KOI is in talks to recruit former Guild pairing Jose Luis "koldamenta" Herrero with head coach André "BARBARR" Möller. Former Acend player Patryk "starxo" Kopczynski and former M3C member Sheydos are both expected to join KOI, according to sources.
Sheydos was unable to collaborate with Riot Games for the EMEA partnership league, which will begin next year since they competed with M3C, which is an unauthorized organization. Meanwhile, Acend applied for the partnership but was unsuccessful in securing a deal.
Sheydos and Starxo have both seen illustrious EMEA Valorant runs, having won a Masters tournament and a Champions event, respectively. Both players faced off at Champions last year, with Acend triumphing over Gambit in the Grand Finals.
KOI is a popular esports group based in Spain, led by star streamer Ibai Llanos. Since its iteration, the organization has gained a strong audience and has secured a deal with Riot to play in the EMEA international competition next year.
Despite being linked to the group, Spanish superstar Oscar "mixwell" Caellas Colocho will not join its roster. The rest of the lineup is still unknown due to a lack of information.
More about KOI
A Spanish organization that is led by two influential individuals, KOI was founded by former LVP caster Ibai Llanos and prominent athlete Gerard Piqué in 2021. Piqué is a professional footballer from the country who is widely considered as one of the best defenders of all time. He is presently a centre-back at FC Barcelona.
Currently, KOI's Valorant roster needs improvements to compete with skilled EMEA players. In addition to the squad, the EMEA league will feature Fnatic, BBL Esports, FUT Esports, Karmine Korp, Giants, NAVI, Team Heretics, Team Vitality, and Team Liquid.
Given Piqué's presence, KOI's fanbase is huge, giving them an advantage over other teams in the partnership program's selection process. Once the pre-season transfer window opens, the organization expects to add fresh athletes to its Valorant squad.
The VCT 2023 season will begin with a high-stakes launch event comprising all thirty teams. The victorious squad will be granted direct entry into the VCT 2023 Masters. The other teams in the pack will compete in the international league split, which will serve as the partnered teams' second gateway to Masters 2023.
