BONK disqualified from VCT EMEA qualifier for cheating

BONK disqualified: Riot confirmed cheating software in VCT EMEA Kickoff Europe Qualifier 1. Players are suspended and two bracket rounds are being replayed.

FireGhost

November 8, 2026, 06:30 PM5 min read

Contents9 sections

BONK disqualified: Riot Games has removed the team from VCT EMEA Kickoff Europe Qualifier 1 after confirming that a participant used cheating software. The players are provisionally suspended and part of the bracket is being replayed.

The ruling arrived on November 8 in a two-page statement on the official VCT EMEA account on X. It is the most high-profile cheating case so far in the open qualifiers for VCT 2027, and the post was viewed hundreds of thousands of times within hours.

Why was BONK disqualified?

According to Riot, its anti-cheat team has been running ongoing match reviews throughout the Kickoff qualifiers. Suspicious behaviour involving BONK was reported during Europe Qualifier 1, and a further investigation "confirmed that a participant on Team BONK was using unauthorised cheating software".

BONK were disqualified as a result. All players and other registered team participants have been provisionally suspended from Riot-sanctioned competitions while the investigation into individual involvement continues. Riot stresses that these are interim measures. Final sanctions will be decided based on the findings for each person.

Riot also restated its zero-tolerance policy. That covers not only cheating itself but also knowingly enabling, assisting or concealing cheating by others. The statement does not name the player involved.

Item	Detail
Event	VCT EMEA Kickoff Europe Qualifier 1
Announced	November 8, 2026, official VCT EMEA account on X
Ruling	BONK disqualified, all participants provisionally suspended
Replay 1	Aurora Gaming vs Project 100K (Ro16), 17:00 CET
Replay 2	Winner vs ycatble (quarter-final), around 19:30 CET
Postponed	Semi-final against Pixel Lumina and the final

The times above come from Riot's statement, which Sheep Esports reports in Central European time.

First page of the official VCT EMEA statement on BONK's disqualification — Page one of the VCT EMEA statement on BONK (Source: Riot Games / VCT EMEA)

Which matches are being replayed?

BONK had beaten Aurora Gaming, Project 100K and ycatble to reach the playoffs. Sheep Esports reports the Aurora series went the distance, with BONK taking the deciding map, Bind, 15-13. Riot has therefore chosen to replay the two rounds that came after that win.

Round of 16: Aurora Gaming vs Project 100K, 17:00 CET
Quarter-final: Winner vs ycatble, around 19:30 CET
At stake: A place in the Europe Qualifier 1 playoffs
Postponed: The semi-final against Pixel Lumina and the final

Riot says all three teams agreed to replay their matches on the same day, and Sheep Esports reports the playoffs have moved to November 10. Riot called the replays "an exceptional measure" that "will not always be possible", adding that the decision "does not establish a precedent" for future cases.

It is an unexpected second chance for Aurora Gaming, whose lineup includes derke and Boo. We covered that roster in our Aurora Valorant report.

Second page of the VCT EMEA statement listing the replay schedule — Page two of the statement: the replay schedule (Source: Riot Games / VCT EMEA)

How has the scene reacted?

Sheep Esports lists BONK's current roster as WaddlesThePig, Corsa, Kaaru, kubfu and Deqadz, though Riot has not said which participant cheated. nataNk, who reached the playoffs with Pixel Lumina, wrote on X that he had reported the team about a month earlier. Aurora's chiwa, a former BONK player, also reacted strongly to the news.

What does it mean for VCT 2027 qualifiers?

VCT 2027 brings back open qualifiers and online play, and Riot acknowledged the risk in its October 27 competitive integrity post. Every competitor must be Vanguard Check compliant and at least Ascendant. Oversight then scales with the stakes, adding voice monitoring, player POV recordings and match-area cameras in later stages. We broke those rules down in our VCT 2027 integrity rules explainer.

The BONK case is the clearest sign yet that those checks are working in the open bracket. According to TalkEsport, only four teams from the EMEA open qualifiers will reach Kickoff, where they join the partner teams listed in our VCT 2027 partner teams story. Europe Qualifier 2 is due to start on November 12.

The message to aspiring pros is clear. Cheating in an online qualifier now risks more than one match: it can put a player's whole Riot-sanctioned career on hold.

Frequently asked questions

Why was BONK disqualified?

Riot says its anti-cheat team confirmed that a participant on Team BONK was using unauthorised cheating software, so the team was removed from VCT EMEA Kickoff Europe Qualifier 1.

Have the BONK players been banned?

All players and registered team participants are provisionally suspended from Riot-sanctioned competitions. Riot calls these interim measures and says final sanctions will depend on each individual's involvement.

Which matches are being replayed?

The two rounds after BONK's win over Aurora Gaming. Aurora Gaming play Project 100K first, and the winner faces ycatble for a place in the qualifier playoffs.