Movistar KOI has been removed from the VCT EMEA following a “breach of the team’s contractual agreement,” according to Riot Games’ official statement.
Riot Games’ decision has been heavily criticised on social media. The Spanish organization’s owner and popular content creator Ibai “Ibai” Llanos posted a 10-minute video explaining how the decision was shared to the team and the organization’s future steps.
Adam Adamou, CEO of OverActive, parent company of Movistar KOI and Toronto Ultra, also released a statement explaining his vision and thoughts regarding Riot Games’ decision.
Here’s what we know so far about Riot Games’ decision to kick Movistar KOI out of VCT EMEA.
Riot Games' version: Movistar KOI are gone because of a contractual breach
According to Riot Games’ statement published earlier today, the Spanish brand was kicked out of the VCT due to a “breach of the team’s contractual agreement with the league.”
Although Riot Games’ statement clearly mentions that a contractual breach by Movistar KOI ultimately led Riot to make this decision, the announcement didn’t include further information.
The decision to terminate Movistar KOI’s partnership also means that the team’s players are now free agents. Additionally, Riot Games reiterated that this decision doesn’t affect Movistar KOI’s involvement in any other Riot Games esport and, moreover, KOI Fénix is still allowed to play in Challengers EMEA Spain: Rising.
Following Riot Games’ decision to terminate Movistar KOI’s partnership, a potential replacement to replace the Spanish esports organization is being explored. However, this won’t change Ascension’s shape: two teams will get promoted to VCT 2026 EMEA.
Movistar KOI’s version: out of VCT overnight
Meanwhile, in the previously mentioned 10-minute video made by Ibai, the Spanish content creator explained that they knew about Riot Games' decision very recently. According to him, an urgent meeting took place and Riot Games let Movistar KOI know that they were out of the league.
Ibai acknowledged Movistar KOI's poor performance at the VCT 2025 EMEA League, as the roster finished at the bottom of the standings with only two wins this season. The Spanish content labeled these years as "disastrous" from a competitive point of view. He also revealed that Movistar KOI was EMEA's worst team when it comes to the sale of VCT Team Capsules.
All things combined, Ibai explained that these two aspects combined probably were the reasons why Riot Games ended up taking the decision announced today. However, while the Spanish content creator understood the idea, and even shared it at some point, he believed the way Riot Games handled things wasn't right.
According to Ibai, Riot Games never warned the Spanish esports organization, and the decision was shared yesterday with the team. After Riot Games shared the decision, Ibai tried to fix the situation and offered to co-stream the games while also focusing on trying to improve the number of skins sold. Additionally, according to Ibai, Riot Games made it clear to Movistar KOI that the decision would be announced one day later, so, today.
Finally, Ibai also said, with no evidence, that Riot Games' decision could be related to Gentle Mates' relegation. In June 2025, Gentle Mates was unveiled as the third-highest seller of VCT Team Capsules in the EMEA League, only behind Team Heretics and Karmine Corp.
How is this going to affect Movistar KOI?
It’s hard to tell how this could affect Movistar KOI. Logically, the organization’s roster in EMEA’s top flight will likely end up disbanding. The players and the staff have already posted LFT posts on their respective personal social media channels. Meanwhile, Movistar KOI’s Valorant academy roster, known as KOI Fénix, could follow the next steps.
Although Movistar KOI has lost its Partnership status with the VCT EMEA, the Spanish organization could make its way back to Valorant's top flight scene, but that means winning next year's Ascension. No plans have been unveiled so far.
While Movistar KOI’s results in Valorant were underwhelming, the relationship between the Spanish esports organization and Riot Games is still well-alive as the brand has one of the region’s best teams in League of Legends. The team is likely to represent the region in Worlds 2026 and recently did so at MSI and the Esports World Cup 2025. So, don’t expect Movistar KOI to cut ties completely with Riot Games.
Logically, with Movistar KOI not being in Valorant’s top flight anymore, this means projects somewhere else are very likely to happen. The Spanish esports organization has already created an X account for Counter-Strike 2, indicating the brand will likely return to Valve’s shooter.