The French are still #1 - RLCS 2026 EU Open 1 Results

BLAST.tv

January 01, 1970

12:00 AM

CS analyst and commentator Pimp tells his story in the new documentary series Away From Keyboard

After multiple giant roster moves during the offseason, we've finally gotten a complete look at how the newly formed European squads stack up against each other.

The RLCS 2026 Open 1 is also the first time an EU regional concludes on LAN rather than online. And boy did these teams put on a show.

Quarterfinals: Sweeps, but in reverse

Needless to say, best-of-7 reverse sweeps on LAN, especially at this level of competition, are extremely rare.

Most tournament don't even have one, so to almost have two back-to-back was downright unbelievable apart from the fact that it was broadcast live.

To kick things off, Novo Esports sent Manchester City packing in a nail-biting full-length series at both organizations' first RLCS LAN event.

The gameplay was admittedly a little scrappy at times, but the excitement provided for the viewers was top notch.

Moments like these incredible saves from Novo had many a fan jumping out of their chair and wondering how the heck they managed to pull them off.

The second quarterfinal played was a battle of French organizations between Team Vitality and Gentle Mates, albeit with fewer actual French players than previous iterations of each team's roster.

This series just barely missed out on being a full reverse sweep, but the outcome was comparable.

Incredible resilience from Vitality resulted in a Game 7 overtime victory, capped off by a ridiculous angle goal scored by none other than zen.

Semifinals: Not so close...

Compared to the quarterfinals, the two semifinals still boasted competitive individual games, but the same can't be said for the series overall.

A surprisingly quick pair of 4-1s, first Ninjas in Pyjamas over Novo and then Karmine Corp over Vitality, saw us through to the main event of the evening: the grand final.

Grand Final: Absolute cinema

Karmine Corp after winning Open 1

The showdown that ensued between Karmine Corp and Ninjas in Pyjamas might just be some of the highest-level Rocket League we've witnessed in the entirety of 2025.

Mechanics on full display, passing plays that would bring a tear to any coach's eye, and of course, a Game 7 overtime.

There are countless highlights we could share from this battle, but if you truly enjoy this esport as much as we do, the entire series is a must-watch.