20,000 people are screaming so loud that the walls of La Défense Arena are literally vibrating — and that’s when Atow punches the ball into the goal in the six-minute overtime of the semifinal.
This is not a movie. It’s Rocket League Paris Major 2026, and Karmine Corp just reminded everyone why esports exists.
The trio of Tristan “Atow” Soyez, Axel “Vatira” Touret and Charles “juicy” Sabiani were crowned Paris Major champions, beating Twisted Minds 4-1 in the final in front of a roaring home audience at La Défense Arena. The prize pool of the tournament was $354,000, of which KC took home $102,000.
But the numbers are just the background. The real story here is about a team that failed the entire split, did not win a single regional tournament, came to Paris without a favorite status — and still turned out to be the best on the planet.
Table of Contents
Karmine Corp’s Path to the Finals: Through Vitality, Gentle Mates, and Nerves in Overtime
In the semifinals, KC faced Team Vitality in a confrontation that nearly drove the fans crazy. Leading 3-1 in the series to four wins, the team managed to miss two match points — the opponent equalized the score in the last seconds of the game — and put the squeeze on the series only in the decisive overtime due to the opponent’s mistakes.
It was the very moment when the hall froze for a few seconds. And then it exploded.
In the final, everything was different: KC took an early 2-0 advantage, lost one game after the opponent’s timeout, but then turned on the same ruthless mode that they demonstrated throughout the tournament. Twisted Minds, with the legendary M0nkey M00n in the line-up, could not do anything against it.
KC led every series in the tournament and eliminated their French rivals from Team Vitality in the semifinals. It was a real celebration for the Parisian public, regardless of whose colors they supported.
Vatira: four majors, records and the title of the best player in the world
For Axel “Vatira” Touret, this is the fourth major trophy of the RLCS — he equaled the legend of League Play Turbopolsa in terms of the number of wins at the largest tournaments of the series. He took the first one under the Moist Esports banner in London at the beginning of his career. The next three are already in blue KC colors.
On the way to the title, Vatira set records in a number of performance indicators and was recognized as the tournament’s MVP. During the season, he was the first among all the players in the European region: 143 goals and 281 saves. Figures that don’t need any comments.
For coach Alexandre “Extra” Paoli, this is the first major victory in a coaching role — and he became the first person in the history of the RLCS to win a major both as a player and as a coach.
Results of RLCS Paris Major 2026: final table
| Location | Team | The result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karmine Corp | Champions, $102,000 |
| 2 | Twisted Minds | Final, 1-4 defeat |
| 3–4 | Team Vitality | Semi-final |
| 3–4 | Gentle Mates | Semi-final |
| 5–6 | Spacestation Gaming | Quarterfinals |
| 5–6 | FUT Esports | Quarterfinals |
16 teams participated in the tournament, including Team Vitality, Gentle Mates, Karmine Corp and other top teams of the global Rocket League.
Why did KC win the major by failing the split and what does it mean
This is probably the most interesting question of the entire tournament. KC did not play a strong game in Split: they did not win a single EU Open and finished the last regional in 5th—6th place, significantly below the usual standards of the organization.
This was only the second time that Karmine Corp under Vatira did not win a single regional in Split. It sounds like an alarming signal, but in fact it turned out that the team was just keeping the powder dry for the main start.
This happens with top teams that know how to “turn on” on LAN. When the stakes are at their maximum, when 20,000 people are shouting your name, that’s when KCS become the KCS that everyone is afraid of.
Key facts about Karmine Corp’s line-up and records
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Vatira — 4 wins at the RLCS majors, MVP of Paris Major 2026
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Atow — 13 wins at RLCS events, the second major in a row
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juicy — the second major in his career (the first was with Gentle Mates)
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Extra (coach) is the first person to win a major both as a player and as a coach
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The team has two RLCS majors, an Esports World Cup title and 12 regional wins
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Karmine Corp has already secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup
What’s next: RLCS Worlds 2026 in Fort Worth
The RLCS 2026 World Championship will be held at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas – it was officially announced during the Paris Major. The best teams on the planet will compete for a prize pool of $1,200,000 over the course of six days of competition.
KC has already qualified for the Worlds, but they are haunted by one unfinished page — they have never won the World Championship. There are three majors, the Esports World Cup, and 12 regional tournaments, but there is no major trophy. After Paris, the question is louder than ever: what if it’s now?
Paris Major 2026 is not just another victory for Karmine Corp. This is proof that the European Rocket League is back on top of the world, and KC itself knows how to win when it’s most difficult. Vatira looks unstoppable, “Extra” has become a historical figure, and 20,000 people in La Défense Arena got the show that esports exists for. Now all eyes are on Fort Worth. And the question is no longer “will KC get to the Worlds”, but “will they have enough momentum to finally take the only title they lack”.
