Esports organisation Fnatic has revealed that VALORANT pro player Emir ‘Alfajer‘ Ali Beder will return to active play for VCT Champions Paris 2025.
After missing a match as a result of personal health issues, the ‘final boss’ of the UK organisation’s VALORANT team returns ahead of Fnatic’s match against NRG this Friday.
Fnatic also revealed that it will keep Enterprise Esports’ Domagoj ‘Doma‘ Fancev in the roster over the weekend for ‘an extra buff’ in case future roster complications arise.
The player served as a stand-in for Alfajer while he was recovering, competing with Fnatic on a 16 hour notice against Paper Rex. It’s no surprise he synergised so well with the team, as he previously played for the organisation back in 2021.
“What can I say,” Doma shared. “Four hours of sleep straight from [the] airport to venue and we won. GG.”
Fnatic’s Surprise Win
Fnatic has showcased a strong performance in VCT Champions Paris so far, topping its respective group and becoming one of eight teams to survive to the Playoffs.
It has so far defeated DRX 2-1 in the Upper Bracket Quarter-finals, and brought an upset loss to the tournament favourites, Paper Rex, with a 2-1 score in the Upper Bracket Semi-Finals.
It was a shocking turn of events for all tuning into the live stream. Things appeared to be going Paper Rex’s way after securing the first map, Bind, but Fnatic made the ultimate comeback after winning the next two maps Haven and Lotus.
If Fnatic wins its match against NRG on October 3rd, it will be become the first team to qualify for the event’s Grand Final, and earn a shot at grabbing a massive portion of the $1m grand prize.
VCT Champions 2025 so far
VCT Champions Pairs 2025 has seen a series of surprise wins and losses so far.
In the Group Stage, organisations like Team Liquid were eliminated after placing within the bottom two teams of its group, while others like G2 Esports secured a spot in the Playoffs.
The Playoffs began with Fnatic defeating DRX, Paper Rex winning against G2 Esports, Team Heretics losing to MIBR, and GIANTX being sent to the Lower Brackets by NRG.
While Fnatic secured a win against Paper Rex, NRG won 2-1 against fellow Americas team, MIBR, knocking it down to the Lower Brackets.
In the Lower Brackets, both GIANTX and G2 Esports were eliminated after losing their respective matches. MIBR and Team Heretics would soon follow after being defeated in the Lower Bracket Quarterfinals.
As of writing, all eyes are on the Lower Bracket Semi-Finals where DRX will face off against Paper Rex for a spot in the Finals.
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