Riot Games Disqualifies BONK From VCT EMEA Qualifier Following Cheating Investigation

Riot Games has taken disciplinary action against VALORANT team BONK, removing the squad from the VCT EMEA Kickoff Europe Qualifier 1 after an anti-cheat investigation identified the use of unauthorized software by one of its registered participants.

The ruling was announced on November 8, 2026, through the official VALORANT Esports EMEA account. According to Riot, concerns surrounding BONK’s competitive activity prompted further examination by its anti-cheat team, which established that a participant had violated the tournament’s competitive integrity requirements.

BONK had progressed through several rounds of the European qualifier, including a notable victory over Aurora Gaming. The team subsequently defeated Project 100K and ycatble, earning a place in the later stages of the competition before the disqualification disrupted its tournament campaign.

Alongside removing BONK from the event, Riot provisionally suspended all players and other registered team participants from Riot-sanctioned competitions.

However, the suspensions are temporary measures pending further investigation. Riot has not publicly identified the individual responsible, and the decision does not establish that every member of BONK participated in or knew about the cheating. Any permanent disciplinary action will depend on the evidence concerning each person’s involvement.

The ruling also required adjustments to the tournament bracket. Rather than allowing BONK’s previous results to determine which teams remained eliminated, tournament officials arranged new matches involving Aurora Gaming, Project 100K and ycatble.

Aurora Gaming was given another opportunity to compete against Project 100K, with the winner scheduled to face ycatble for a place in the qualifier playoffs. The affected matches were replayed on November 8, and Aurora subsequently secured progression to the playoff stage.

The incident also affected the tournament schedule, with the remaining semifinal and final matches moved to November 10.

Riot explained that replaying matches is an exceptional response intended to address the competitive consequences of this particular violation, rather than an automatic procedure for every future cheating case.

The situation highlights the challenges tournament organizers face when competitive integrity violations are discovered after several rounds have already been completed.

While BONK’s participation in the qualifier has ended, the investigation into individual responsibility remains ongoing, with further disciplinary decisions expected to depend on Riot’s findings.