Foo Zen-Wen

The road to Masters Santiago begins with a single step – Kickoff. The VCT EMEA Kickoff for 2026 is set to begin on the 20th of January with 12 teams taking to the stage, competing and qualifying for 3 slots to the first VALORANT Masters event of the new year. Kings of old? Established order? 2026 upturns all of that with new challengers vying for control in this latest season of VCT EMEA.

Karmine Corp’s opening debut with their new roster in the VCT EMEA 2026 Kickoff tournament did not deliver quite the brilliant opener they were hoping for. However, despite NAVI’s brilliant start to both maps, Karmine Corp managed to mount late game comebacks both times, resulting in an end result that was far from satisfactory, but not fully disappointing. Following the conclusion to the series, Strafe Esports sat down with Karmine Corp’s Head Coach Andrey “Engh” Sholokhov to speak on the team’s performance during the match, their preparation coming into their first match of 2026, his thoughts on the game’s changes since last season, and so much more in this exclusive interview.

Strafe Esports was recently invited to attend a media event organized by the EWC (Esports World Cup). In it, an open discussion was held around EWC 2026 and beyond, answering some of the bigger questions surrounding one of the world’s biggest emerging esports tournament organizers.

The LEC (League of Legends European Championship) has announced a return for the fan-favourite Roadshows for the 2026 season – this time with 5 events planned throughout the year. Once again, the LEC has partnered with Movistar KOI and Karmine Corp for these events, allowing them to determine the venues.

As the countdown to Kickoff continues, VALORANT Esports EMEA has just announced a multiyear partnership with Razer as the official gaming chair partner for 2026 and 2027. The partnership will extend to both VCT EMEA as well as Game Changers EMEA.

Short on cash in-game? Not enough money for the big green? You're probably mismanaging your in-game economy, leading to more bad buys than you need to suffer. There are plenty of guides and obvious signs out there when your shots aren't landing. But one of the biggest core skills to learn for new players to Counter-Strike 2 is managing your economy.