[EMEA] FUT, HMB Mathematically Lock Worlds, TTM Bounces Back

Image Credits: BLAST & Michal Konkol

Coming home from Brawl Cup on home territory, EMEA was back to deliver more action in the Summer Split with teams fighting for FOUR World Finals and TWO LCQ spots. Mathematically, the job for FUT Esports and HMBLE is already done - as long as they check in for the next two months of competition, they have secured their tickets to Tokyo. Before the Monthly Finals began, we saw major upsets in the qualifiers to kick off the split. NOVO Esports, seeded 9th at the time, reverse swept both SK Gaming and FUT Esports respectively to qualify through the upper bracket. BIG qualified for the first time since March with wins over F/A Kumalazawesta (previously Big Talents) and NAVI. The lower bracket included its own set of upsets as well.

Notably, some rosters underperformed to kick off the Summer Split and may have sealed their fate in the regular season. Despite adding Yoko to their ranks, SK Gaming suffered a terrible 2-3 defeat in Round 2 of the Lower Bracket against a F/A team led by 2024 World Finals player Gugu, while Team Heretics were defeated in the final round of the lower bracket final round by F/A Kumalazawesta. Both of those teams were hit with a massive leaderboard drop, with SK Gaming falling to 11th place (previously #8) and Team Heretics falling all the way to 7th place (previously #3), a shocking sight for EMEA’s first and third seeds in 2025.

Quarterfinals

The Summer Split in EMEA began with a rematch between HMBLE and F/A Kumalazawesta, the former now the only 2x Brawl Cup Champions. This time, HMBLE made sure to not let history repeat itself, quickly and convincingly taking the first two sets for themselves. However, Set 3 was much closer and chaotic. A back-and-forth battle in Gem Grab in the end resulted with a set win for F/A Kumalazawesta, denying a 3-0 sweep for HMBLE. F/A Kumalazawesta were unable to keep that momentum heading into Set 4 and were taken out of the Monthly Finals in a 3-1 scoreline in favor of HMBLE, who secured their revenge and advanced to the semifinals.

The next match had a surprising twist - FUT Esports had qualified through the Lower Bracket to the Monthly Final and found themselves on the same side of the bracket as HMBLE for the first time all year. Surprise team BIG was standing in their way, and for the first set, they were the better team of the match. During Set 2, they took a game as well, looking primed to take a convincing set lead against the current champions of EMEA - they had to wake up, and wake up they did. FUT Esports immediately turned the whole match around, taking the next three sets for themselves and winning the match over BIG to advance to their fourth match against HMBLE this year.

After Coverz’s ban from the BSC, Metizport needed a substitute player heading into the Monthly Finals, and what better substitute to take than LeNain? After a surprising performance at Brawl Cup as a super substitute for FUT Esports, expectations were high for MZP coming with a new life this split. Their opponents were none other than Reply Totem, who were on a dark horse run this month amidst rumors of roster changes and declining performances. Metizport got run over the entire match, only finding success in Set 2 where they managed to take a game off of Totem. In the end, Totem had control of the match the whole way through and swept MZP in a dominating 3-0.

Closing off the quarterfinals with the most anticipated match-up, a revitalized NOVO Esports was taking on BSC titans in NAVI. With Team Heretics out of the equation, NAVI had the chance to build up a decent lead heading into the Summer Split, but NOVO Esports had other plans. Even if NAVI were seen as one of the stronger EMEA teams this year, this didn’t seem to bother NOVO Esports at all - all three sets were taken by them, and thanks to that, they added another quarterfinals exit to NAVI’s 2026 history - while their consistency has still kept them in contention for Worlds, consecutive QF losses now has put them in a difficult position with many teams hot on their tail.

Semifinals

A matchup that never fails to disappoint, this time taking place in the first semifinal of the day. HMBLE and FUT Esports have once more met each other on their way to another Monthly Finals victory and this was a chance for both teams to once again prove who is the better EMEA squad. Yet, everyone who expected a close matchup were unfortunately left with disappointment, as HMBLE were nowhere to be seen during the whole match - the Brawl Cup Champions looked like a shell of themselves at LAN as FUT handily swept them 6-0. With this result, FUT Esports advanced to their 4th EMEA grand final of the year, showing HMBLE who’s truly the boss.

With a very good shot at advancing to the Grand Final, Reply Totem and NOVO Esports were facing down each other for the third time this year as they kicked off this exciting Italian derby. To many, this was the first 50/50 match of the day, but Totem was not playing around this month. In convincing fashion, Totem took the first two sets, and despite a show of resistance from Filippo’s Fang in Knockout, Totem also took the third set in another 6-0 sweep. With such a performance, not only had Totem won the match to advance and denied NOVO’s hopes of a grand finals appearance, they had also jumped all the way to #3 on the leaderboard with TH’s failure to qualify. With just two months left, the BSC staple now has a good chance of directly qualifying to World Finals instead of continuing the streak of LCQ appearances.

Grand Final

For long-time BSC fans, this matchup was surely a surprise to witness. To FUT Esports, this was just another day in the office, but for Totem, it was a chance to redeem themselves after a disappointing Spring Split. Last time we saw these two organizations face off, TTM took a close 3-2 victory over FUT in 2023. Heading to the match, both teams took a set each and it was a surprisingly close fight that showed moments of brilliance from both sides. Unfortunately for TTM, they couldn’t clutch the win on Knockout and suffered a close loss in Bounty to finish off their Monthly Final run. For FUT Esports, they secured their third Monthly Final victory this year and have secured an almost insurmountable lead as EMEA’s best team in 2026. Even though Totem lost, they definitely showed that the old guard still has what it takes to compete against the greatest of EMEA and are now in conversation for qualifying to the World Finals.