- Spanish streamer Ibai announces a new VALORANT team
- The team is co-owned by former FC Barcelona team captain Gerard Piqué, who already owns other esports teams in games like League of Legends
- The organization hasn’t officially announced its roster’s composition, but leaks indicate many former UCAM Esports Club players and staff
Content creator Ibai “Ibai” Llanos recently unveiled a new VALORANT team as part of his esports organization KOI. The international roster’s core is the old UCAM Esports Club lineup.
Ibai Announces New VALORANT Team
Ibai Llanos, or more commonly known as just Ibai, recently announced a new VALORANT roster during a show match event on Wednesday against Karmine Corp. The event was organized by his partner Gerard Piqué, who co-owns a spot in the League of Legends competitive scene. The event pitted Ibai’s LoL squad against the Karmine Corp.
The event took place in Barcelona, Spain, in front of a live crowd at the Palau Sant Jordi stadium. During the event, Ibai revealed his new VALORANT. This coincided with the launch of the team’s official Twitter account, which gained more than 100 000 followers within just minutes of the announcement.
The organization KOI is owned by Ibai, who’s quite popular in the Spanish streaming scene, as well as FC Barcelona’s Gerard Piqué. The combination of the former’s experience in gaming and entertainment, and the latter’s career in both Barca, and the ownership of a Superliga LoL team, should mean KOI will have a strong presence on the esports scene.
Who Is Going to Be On the Team?
Although Ibai has not yet officially announced anything, rumors have surfaced as to what the roster composition might be. Apparently, Antonio “Aska” Lozano and Sergio “Sikak0” Rodríguez will be the team’s coaches, with the latter taking the role of head coach. Lozano previously coached the UCAM Esports Club in 2021, and Sikako was also part of the Murcia team.
The team is officially currently conducting trials with different players, but sources close to Dexerto have leaked the names of players who have already been selected. Like with the coaches, it seems Ibai’s team has chosen more former UCAM Esports Club players. These include Gabriel “shrew” Gessle, Oskar “PHYRN” Palmqvist, and in-game leader Ladislav “Sacake” Sachr.
These three will be joining former Fnatic player Joona “H1ber” Parviainen, who left the organization in November, and Gabriel “starkk” Marques, who is a former CS:GO pro who’s been on a five-month hiatus from professional VALORANT since he left SAW at the end of July.
