Karmine Corp Sets Sights on 2026 with Revamped LEC and VCT Lineups
Karmine Corp revealed its 2026 LEC and VCT rosters during a livestream on January 7, marking a strategic push for domestic and international dominance in Riot Games titles. The announcement included new jerseys and commercial partnerships, signaling a fresh chapter for the French organization.
LEC Roster: Core Trio Anchors Ambitious Squad
The LEC lineup drew the most attention, with Karmine Corp retaining top laner Kim ‘Canna’ Chang-dong, jungler Martin ‘Yike’ Sundelin, and ADC Caliste ‘Caliste’ Henry-Hennenbert. The trio forms the backbone of a squad reinforced by two high-profile acquisitions: North American support Alan ‘Busio’ Cwalina — a Worlds veteran from FlyQuest — and Korean mid laner Kang ‘kyeahoo’ Ye-hoo, plucked from LCK side DRX.
Coaching leadership shifts to Bok ‘Reapered’ Han-gyu, whose pedigree includes stints with Cloud9 and 100 Thieves. Quentin ‘Zeph’ Viguié and Benjamin ‘Xenesis’ Castet round out the staff as assistant coach and Head of Data, respectively.
Academy Squad: Fresh Faces for LEC Versus
Karmine Corp Blue (KCB), the academy roster, will compete in LEC Versus, a new kick-off tournament featuring ERL squads alongside LEC teams. Only Johnny ‘Yukino’ Dang returns from the 2025 lineup, joined by Italian-Chinese top laner Xu ‘Tao’ Hongtao Alessandro, mid laner Kamil ‘Kamiloo’ Haudegond, and bot lane duo Costin ‘Hazel’ Pestrițu and Olivier ‘Prime’ Payet. Ianis ‘Blidzy’ Paul takes over as head coach, replacing Vasilis ‘TheRock7’ Voltis.
Both squads open their campaigns on January 17, clashing in the tournament’s first match.
VCT EMEA: Three Departures, Three New Signings
The VCT EMEA roster sees a near-complete overhaul, with Martin ‘marteen’ Pátek, Matias ‘Saadhak’ Delipetro, and Artur ‘pyrolll’ Minin exiting. Their replacements: Burak ‘LêwN’ Alkan, Dastan ‘dos9’ Zhumagali, and Bogdan ‘Sheydos’ Naumov. The coaching staff — Andrey ‘ENGH’ Sholokhov and Ahmed ‘ZE1SH’ Sheikh — remains intact.
Game Changers: Retained Roster Eyes Redemption
The VALORANT Game Changers lineup stays unchanged, with Anastasiya ‘Glance’ Anisimova, Azra ‘Alkyia’ Erin, Anastasia ‘anesilia’ Ivanova, Şura ‘Jiex’ Yıldırım, and Safia ‘safiaa’ Leghzal returning. Despite winning EMEA Stage 1 and Stage 2 in 2025, the team finished sixth at the VCT Game Changers Championship — a result they’ll aim to improve in 2026.
The VCT EMEA squad debuts on January 20, while the Game Changers team begins its season on January 26.
“This roster is built for one thing: winning. Every addition was made with synergy and experience in mind.” — Kamel ‘Kameto’ Kebir, KC Co-Founder