VIT Jamppi after qualifying to playoffs: ”We’re just going to get stronger”

Team Vitality continues to blossom on stage at VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters London 2026 after taking down their EMEA rivals FUT Esports 2-1. In a rematch, both teams fought tooth and nail for a guaranteed spot in the playoffs, and Vitality wanted it more as they once again bested the Turkish team.

THESPIKE had the opportunity to interview Team Vitality's in-game leader Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen after the game and talk about the team's improvement and qualification for the playoffs.

It feels amazing, the first step is over.

Back och the global stage

It’s been two years since Jamppi last stood on a global stage. While the BBL squad came close last year, Jamppi couldn’t make it all the way in 2025. When Vitality qualified for Masters London through VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - EMEA Stage 1, the audience could see how much it meant to the in-game leader when he hugged his fellow players on stage.

When asked what it was like to be back on the international stage, Jamppi described how much he missed the environment.

It feels amazing. It's the first time as an IGL and as a leader of a team. Last year with BBL we were so close a couple of times and it's just nice to see a lot of people here I haven't seen in many years. Also in London I have a lot of friends here. The vibe is different and of course the crowd is the biggest thing. All the fans and crowd, you don't have that in EMEA. So it's amazing.

Improving rapidly as a team

The new Vitality had a rough start to the 2026 season as they exited VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - EMEA Kickoff without a ticket to VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters Santiago 2026 and almost crashed out in the Stage 1 group stage. In previous interviews with THESPIKE, both Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov and Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev acknowledged that their teamplay was lacking big time, and Jamppi agrees.

We were so bad as a team and everybody understood it. I'm happy that it happened because it made us so much better to understand what we need to do together.

Since then, the team has really pulled itself together, earning the second EMEA seed for London and now making the playoffs. A lot of sacrifices were made, and the close call in the Stage 1 group stage served as a wake-up call for the team.

It just took us time to figure out the system for us because we have a lot of good players but we were not on the same page. And then after a couple of tough losses we understood that something needs to change and it's not very easy to do if you don't have the players for it and I'm very happy that I have a bunch of people who were able to sacrifice something from their own for the team's good.

THESPIKE: Are you happy with where the team is now?

Yes, but also I know that we can still get so much better because it's our first international so I know that the more experience we get together as a team, I think we're just gonna get stronger. And it's good that we have a lot of time to prepare for the next game.

Bringing the hype as IGL

Still relatively new to the IGL role, Jamppi is getting more comfortable in the position. He emphasizes that his vocal playstyle has been a perfect fit for the role, alongside getting plenty of help from the coaching staff and players.

I like it. I like to be vocal. Even before I was IGL, I felt like the more I talked, maybe not like in terms of IGL'ing, but in terms of just pure communication, the better I played. I feel like my brain needs talking and as an IGL I think it gives me a lot of room to talk. And of course it helps that I have four unbelievable teammates and coaches who help me every day.

When watching Vitality, one can notice how often Jamppi stands up and hypes up his team on stage. For him, it’s not about being a leader but about being who he is as a person. Trying to be someone else, in his experience, is not going to work, so being vocal and doing his own thing will ultimately help his team as well.

It's just me having fun. I think it's like I try to be myself on the stage. I try to do what I like to do, you know. It all comes naturally. So I don't need to be somebody else because there's a lot of different qualities in leadership. There's a lot of different leaders. Everybody leads their own way. And in my opinion, being a leader, you need to be yourself. Because if you start pretending to be something that you are not, everybody around you can see that. And I try to be myself every day when it comes to practice, especially in the officials, because that's me and I enjoy it a lot.

Sayonara thriving on the stage

Vitality’s newest recruit, Ștefan "Sayonara" Mîtcu, is making his debut on the global VCT stage at Masters London. While he has only been playing with the team for two months, he has already had a massive impact on the server. At 18 years old, Jamppi believes Sayonara is showing a lot of maturity for someone so young.

He's just an incredible player. He's not one of those 18-year-old kids who just want to kill and run around without any brain. He's actually a very smart player. I think it just comes from his family, I think he's very well raised. Of course, he's 18; you can't expect everything from him. But his base is so good as a player and as a human that not many young players have.

Playoffs next

Vitality has now earned a short break before competition resumes in the playoffs. There, the first seeds from each region are already waiting. Jamppi’s plan is to take it one game at a time, but there is one team he hopes to meet in the coming days:

Maybe not first game, but for sure I want to get revenge versus Team Heretics. That's my goal.

For more VCT interviews with your favourite players from Masters London, stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG.

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