FOKUS FOKUS Europe Rank #14 has claimed the final spot in the main event of the VCT EMEA Ascension, winning the play-ins grand final 3-1 over S2G Esports S2G Esports Inactive batujnax Mehmet Batu Özaslan DeadInk Utku Onur Aydin hezacoil Berkay Doğar Kachoww Samet Arıcı reazy Kaan Ürpek .

EMEA Ascension's extended format accounts for a total of 18 teams, split evenly between the main event and the play-ins. The second-best team for every region fought in the play-ins, battling it to be the 10th team among the nine regional champions in Ascension's main event.

The play-ins kicked off with a group stage, where three groups of three each played a round-robin, where the best-placed team moved to the playoffs. GTZ Esports GTZ Esports Inactive H4te Rodrigo Ribeiro Caim Hugo Fonseca were the only team to win their group outright, going 2-0 against S2G Esports S2G Esports Inactive batujnax Mehmet Batu Özaslan DeadInk Utku Onur Aydin hezacoil Berkay Doğar Kachoww Samet Arıcı reazy Kaan Ürpek and MOUZ MOUZ Inactive , while FOKUS FOKUS Europe Rank #14 and Team Queso Team Queso Inactive mezoky Boom Daniel Jiménez went through due to a larger round differential.

S2G later joined the play-ins playoffs thanks to two victories in the last chance group. They then matched against Queso in the semifinals and won 2-0 (Ascent 14-12; Split 13-7), placing them in the grand finals. FOKUS joined them after a tough 2-0 against GTZ (Lotus 13-5; Pearl 13-10), where they had to stop a comeback on their opponents' Pearl pick.

The grand final between S2G and FOKUS was the tightest affair of the play-ins, as the two locked horns in a four-map affair. The former stole FOKUS' Lotus pick 13-9, but lost to a much rouger 13-4 on Split that leveled the series. After taking a gruelling 14-12 on Fracture, FOKUS cruised to victory on Haven, rounding out the match with a 13-4.

Someone really wants to return to the VCT.

EMEA Ascension takes a beat until June 30, when it returns with the group stage of the main event. FOKUS are placed in Group B, where they'll first play Apeks Apeks Inactive in a single round-robin format. The best two teams of each group move to the double-elimination playoffs.

The completed Ascension groups are:

Group A

Group B

The winner of the 2023 Ascension tournament will receive a two-year stay in the VCT alongside the partnered teams, which will come with similar benefits and equal chances to qualify for international tournaments.