Karmine Corp just did the thing nobody expected them to do. Again.
The French Valorant squad stormed to a 9-0 lead on Fracture against NRG in the Esports World Cup 2026 Group B decider on July 6, flipping the script after NRG had comfortably taken the first map, Breeze, with a 13-6 scoreline. For a team that prediction markets had pegged at roughly a 31-33% chance of winning the decider, KC chose violence.
A comeback built on Fracture
The map veto process set the stage for this drama. NRG banned Sunset while KC removed Lotus from the pool, leaving Haven as the potential third-map battleground. Given KC’s earlier 13-8 victory on Fracture against Paper Rex just two days prior, their comfort on the map was well-documented.
This decider carried enormous stakes. The loser’s tournament life in Group B was effectively over, while the winner would advance deeper into the bracket.
