Derke and Aurora Gaming qualify for VCT 2027 EMEA Kickoff Europe Qualifier
Everyone thought the European "superteam" had already been eliminated from contention, until Riot Games revealed that one of their opponents had been caught cheating during the Open Qualifiers. The decision brought Aurora Gaming back into the competition, giving them another shot at qualification. The team has now secured its place in the VCT 2027: EMEA Kickoff - Europe Qualifier.
Riot takes action against cheating
On November 8, Riot Games announced the disqualification of BONK from the Open Qualifier after finding evidence of cheating during their match against Aurora. In their official statement, Riot Games revealed that it had identified suspicious behavior in the team's performance throughout the tournament. The findings resulted in player suspensions and the team's disqualification from the competition.
"Throughout Kickoff Qualifiers, our anti-cheat team has been conducting ongoing match reviews to identify potential cheating, investigate emerging threats and protect competitive integrity. As part of this process suspicious behavior involving Team BONK in the VCT EMEA Kickoff Europe Qualifier 1 was reported. Further investigation by our team confirmed that a participant on Team BONK was using unauthorised cheating software."
"As a result, Team BONK has been disqualified from VCT EMEA Kickoff Europe Qualifier 1. All players and other registered team participants have been provisionally suspended from Riot-sanctioned competitions while we complete our investigation into individual involvement. These suspensions are interim measures. Any final sanctions will be determined based on the findings for each individual."
Aurora Gaming returns to the competition
Following the team's disqualification, Aurora Gaming reclaimed their place in the competition and got another opportunity to prove themselves.
"Following our investigation, we have decided to replay the two subsequent rounds of matches in the affected portion of the VCT EMEA Kickoff Europe Qualifier 1 bracket. This decision takes into account both competitive integrity and the scheduling considerations of the tournament."
"Following discussions with the affected teams, Aurora Gaming, Project 100K and Ycatable have all agreed to replay their impacted matches today. Aurora Gaming will face Project 100K in the Round of 16, with the winner progressing to face Ycatable in the Quarter-Finals for a place in the Kickoff Europe Qualifier Playoffs."
Aurora Gaming went on to defeat both remaining opponents on their path to the Playoffs, securing their spot in Europe's Open Qualifier 1. The four qualified teams will now face each other to determine their seeding ahead of the VCT 2027: EMEA Kickoff - Europe Qualifier.
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Featured Image by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
Sofia is an esports journalist from Porto, Portugal, with two years of professional experience and a background in college newspapers and local TV. She has always loved telling people’s stories, making interviews her favorite part of the job. Her passion for gaming started by watching her older brother play Pokémon, but it was discovering VALORANT during the pandemic that made her want to work in esports.
She mainly covers League of Legends and VALORANT, but she also has a soft spot for TFT and Overwatch. She’s a workaholic, always smiling, and easily recognizable by her curly hair.
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