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Message: [QUOTE="Queen, post: 86621, member: 27"] A late venue swap just shoved VCT EMEA Stage 2 Finals out of Berlin and into a Spanish Olympic arena, rewriting the league’s usual playbook for its biggest showdown. VCT EMEA finals land in Barcelona [LIST] [*]Riot Games moved the VCT EMEA Stage 2 Finals to Olímpic Arena. [*]The matches run from August 28 to 30 in Badalona. [*]Barcelona becomes the first major arena stop outside Berlin. [*]Berlin had housed the league since its launch. [/LIST] Madrid plan gets scrapped [LIST] [*]January 2026 plans had named Madrid for the playoffs. [*]Riot cited venue planning shifts for the change. [*]Spain stays on the map despite the city swap. [*]Barcelona was picked as the fallback option. [/LIST] Olímpic Arena and expanded access [LIST] [*]Olímpic Arena was built for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. [*]The venue has staged sports and entertainment events before. [*]Challenger teams can reach the VCT EMEA Playoffs for the first time. [*]Franchise-only access no longer locks the finals stage. [/LIST] Riot promises scale and fan events [LIST] [*]Daniel Ringland addressed the venue adjustment publicly. [*]Ringland stressed Spain’s crowds and the arena’s atmosphere. [*]August marks the end of the VCT EMEA season. [*]On-site fan activities are planned, with details pending. [/LIST] Global venue push in 2026 [LIST] [*]Riot will stage playoffs across four VCT international leagues. [*]São Paulo, Chengdu, Busan, and Barcelona will host in 2026. [*]Stage 2 leaves regular studios for bigger arenas. [*]International fans get high-stakes matches in their cities. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]

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