Riot Games confirmed on November 8, 2026, that Team BONK has been disqualified from the VCT EMEA Kickoff Europe Qualifier 1 after investigation found that a participant on the roster was using unauthorised cheating software. All BONK players and registered team members have been provisionally suspended from Riot-sanctioned competitions while individual involvement is assessed. Two bracket rounds that followed BONK’s matches were replayed, a step Riot called an “exceptional measure” that does not set a precedent.
The Disqualification and Bracket Replay
BONK had advanced to the top four of the qualifier bracket after defeating Aurora Gaming 2–1 in the Round of 32 on November 6. Aurora’s roster features Masters champion Derke alongside tier-one veterans Boo and trexx—a lineup that drew significant attention when it was announced—making the loss a notable upset that had already generated community discussion before the disqualification landed.
Riot’s decision to replay the bracket was limited. Aurora received a second chance and faced Project 100K in the Round of 16 on November 8, with the winner advancing to meet YCATABLE in the quarter-finals. The semi-final against Pixel Lumina and the final were postponed to November 10. However, BONK’s opening-round win against THE ONE still stands. THE ONE remains eliminated despite having lost to a now-disqualified team. THE ONE player GROTZ said an admin cited “significant scheduling constraints” that prohibited replaying further rounds “without further disruption.”
The disqualification itself followed a formal dispute filed by YCATABLE. Riot’s player management team confirmed to YCATABLE that the action came after that dispute, thanking them for “using the official channels to report this.”
Leo Faria, Riot’s global head of Valorant esports, was blunt in a post on X: “Imagine cheating in OQs and thinking we wouldn’t catch you. If you’re involved, don’t expect a slap on the wrist.”
Prior Reports and an Uncomfortable Timeline
The official confirmation answered one question and opened several others. Multiple players and coaches publicly stated they had flagged BONK to Riot or its anti-cheat staff well before the disqualification—some claiming reports stretched back months or longer.
nataNk, a former Team Vitality player now competing for Pixel Lumina, said his team lost to BONK 2–1 in the semi-finals of EVC: The Surge 14 on October 11, 2026. BONK won that tournament and its $1,500 prize. In a post on X, nataNk said he reported BONK to GamerDoc, a principal anti-cheat analyst at Riot Vanguard, roughly a month before the VCT qualifier but felt the report was not acted on: “I reported them to GamerDoc 1 month ago but didn’t take me seriously maybe, or didn’t see the message.”
Carlos_01, coach of Swedish side LEO, went further. He claimed his team was aware of BONK cheating during Red Bull Home Ground qualifiers in October 2025—more than a year before the VCT disqualification—and that “over 30 pages of evidence” had been sent to admins with “no response.”
Player d3nZ posted on X that BONK’s behaviour in a playoff qualifier the night before the ban had become so obvious that his team and Aurora could not ignore it, adding: “They’ve been cheating for 1.5–2 years.”
JTayy, assistant coach for G2 Gozen, raised a question that many in the scene echoed. In a post on X, JTayy noted that BONK had been playing together for a year, had competed at LAN events and in Challengers, and had performed at a consistent level throughout. “Did someone… just start Cheating? Have they been cheating that whole time? If so, why is it only now we find out?”
None of these prior-report claims have been independently verified by Riot. The company has not addressed whether earlier reports were received, reviewed, or dismissed. What is confirmed is that the action in this case was triggered by YCATABLE’s formal dispute during the qualifier itself.
What Happens Next
Final sanctions against individual BONK members have not been announced. Riot said each person’s involvement will be assessed separately, meaning provisional suspensions could range in length or result in permanent bans depending on findings. The qualifier bracket continues with the rescheduled semi-final and final on November 10.
For Players
If you compete in open qualifiers or any Riot-sanctioned event, this case reinforces two practical points. First, the official dispute channel works—Riot explicitly credited YCATABLE’s formal complaint as the trigger for action. If you encounter suspected cheating during a sanctioned match, filing through the tournament’s dispute process is the documented path. Second, the bracket replay was labelled an “exceptional measure.” Riot stated clearly that it does not establish a precedent, so teams eliminated by a disqualified side in future events should not assume the same remedy will apply. THE ONE’s situation—knocked out by a team later banned, with no replay granted—is the more likely default outcome.