FNATIC’s Boaster Talks Unexpected Support at EWC 2025, and the Value of “Official Repetition”

VALORANT is a new entry into the Esports World Cup for 2025, bringing with it the game’s passionate fan base and its ever-impressive pro scene. The game’s EWC debut also comes with some added pressure, being one of the first Championship weekends of the festival’s seven-week duration. Naturally, that hasn’t stopped VALORANT fans, and specifically FNATIC fans, from showing up to offer their support.

When asked if it was surprising to see such a strong presence from fans in Riyadh, FNATIC’s, Jake “Boaster” Howlett, told us, “Yeah, a little bit.” 

“I do love seeing the FNATIC jerseys in the crowd and the FNATIC flags and all that jazz, so I love knowing that there's fans all around the world that support us. It's really cute. There were two halfs, the Paper Rex half and the FNATIC half, which was kind of cool.”

FNATIC secured their place in the final following the team’s semi-final revenge win against Paper Rex. The team narrowly missed the crown at VCT Masters Toronto 2025, losing to PRX in a Bo5 and settling with second place. But, the EWC is a new stage for VALORANT pros, and with that comes new stakes. 

“I always say it with the boys, the best sort of practice you can get is official repetition,” the IGL said. “So when you're playing high stakes matches, there's a lot on the line. And I think this is one of them, where you want to win. It's a competition. You want to be the best. You want to lift the trophy. And this is where you can really refine your strategy, and really become comfortable with playing. The more you play, the better you'll become as a team, the more structured, the more you're able to react to stuff. 

On Split there, [PRX] almost came back. But we've already lived that day before, against BBL and against other teams. And luckily, someone was just able to clock in for those two rounds and get us over to the 12 round mark. And by then, everyone believes. But it always takes one or two rounds where you're a bit worried, and then it switches and you're like, ‘Oh, we've actually got this game in the bag.”

With 2000 players across 24 games, the Esports World Cup offers a unique opportunity for teams and orgs to meet in-person. FNATIC’s VALORANT roster did a joint meet and greet for fans with the org’s Apex Legends roster, for example, and have shared a player lounge with numerous global teams. 

“I didn't realise there were so many players from other games that might know me,” Boaster said. “They all come up to me like, ‘hey, can I get a picture? My brothers are fans. One of my teammates is a fan.’ And so I end up talking to some of them. I spoke to, in the car on the way back [from the arena], an Apex player from Sentinels and an Apex player from KOI. And we were speaking in the car — it was a half an hour drive – And that was quite cute.” 

Other notable 'colliding of worlds' included Boaster meeting with Alliance’s Apex Legends pro Andre “unlucky” Türk. “He was very respectful. It's cool — It's like a little summer boot camp.”

Speaking of summer, Riyadh’s weather during the EWC is a stark difference to the unpredictable nature of the UK. The heat was something Boaster (and this British journalist) weren’t quite prepared for. “It's very hot, isn't it? But luckily they have AC. In England, we haven't got any AC around, so I'm just sweating in my pants — Not the nicest visual though.” Thanks, Boaster.