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neilzinho's double surgery sidelines Team Heretics' head coach and shot-caller just days before VCT EMEA Stage 2. Weber steps up, but the defending EMEA champions will open the July 15 bracket without the architect of their title run.
Team Heretics head coach neilzinho has suffered a ruptured ACL and torn meniscus, leaving him unable to walk or travel. The defending VCT EMEA Stage 1 champions are heading into the July 15 Stage 2 kickoff without the man who engineered their title run.
Photo: Wojciech Wandzel / Riot Games
Neil "neilzinho" Finlay confirmed the injury publicly. He ruptured his ACL and tore his meniscus, requiring two surgeries before he can return. Recovery will take several months, ruling him out for both VCT EMEA Stage 2 and the Esports World Cup 2026.
He expects several weeks before he can even walk again. Despite this, neilzinho will stay connected remotely, supporting the team from home during every match day.
neilzinho has been Team Heretics' head coach since November 2022, and he won Coach of the Year at VCT 2024 EMEA Stage 2. He built one of the most strategically consistent rosters in the EMEA franchise era.
His impact goes beyond the whiteboard. With VALORANT Patch 13.00 reshaping meta compositions heading into Stage 2, the ability to read opponents live and call mid-series adjustments matters enormously. Losing that presence in the building is where elite coaching earns its weight.
This also hits at a uniquely difficult moment. Heretics enter Stage 2 as reigning EMEA champions, fresh off Leviatán's victory at Masters London that confirmed how tight the top of the global standings really is. The pressure to defend a title while reconfiguring coaching mid-season is a different kind of challenge.
Brandon "weber" Weber steps up to handle all in-person coaching duties. He has worked alongside neilzinho for almost four years at Team Heretics and has even subbed in as a player for the team on past occasions. The institutional knowledge is there.
neilzinho confirmed that Weber will manage all matchday operations while he remains available remotely each day. Performance Coach EsportsRyan (Ryan Scollan) and manager Niklas stay in place, keeping the support structure around Boo, benjyfishy, RieNs, Wo0t, and Koshmaras intact.
Photo: Riot Games / VCT EMEA
VCT EMEA Stage 2 kicks off on July 15 and runs through August 30, 2026. Twelve franchised teams split into Alpha and Omega groups compete in single round-robin format, with all group matches played best-of-three.
The top two from each group advance directly to playoffs with bracket seeding advantages. Teams finishing 3rd through 6th enter a play-in stage against four Challengers representatives for the remaining spots. The prize pool sits at $250,000, with the champion earning direct qualification to Champions Shanghai. Already gearing up? Join Valorant tournaments on Amber.gg and compete while the pros fight for their spot in Shanghai.
Key opponents watching Heretics from the other side of the bracket include Team Vitality, Fnatic, Natus Vincere, Team Liquid, and Eternal Fire.
This is not a roster move. No player is missing, and Weber knows the system inside out. But coaching continuity at this level involves more than playbooks: live reads, half-time adjustments, and the interpersonal pressure management that separates good teams from great ones.
Heretics have the talent. The active EMEA transfer market shows the region keeps moving fast, and rival teams arrive at Stage 2 with their full coaching rosters intact. The question is not whether Weber can do the job. It is whether the transition hits at the worst possible time, as defending champions with everything to lose and nothing to prove.
neilzinho on a remote headset is better than nothing. But the EMEA title race just got a little more open.
Want to compete at your own level while the pros battle it out? Join Valorant ladders and tournaments on Amber.gg.
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