Valorant Esports World Cup 2026 Playoff Teams Decided
We haven’t even had the opening ceremony of the Esports World Cup yet, but the action is already well under way. Especially in the Mirrorverse. 16 of the world’s best teams battled it out in the group stages of the $2m Valorant tournament, with 8 progressing to this week’s playoffs.
The main talking point of the group stages was the early exit of Paper Rex – one of the favourites to advance to the latter stages of the event. They did find themselves in the toughest group, pitted against Team Vitality, NRG, and Karmine Corp, but they were still expected to advance.
100 Thieves
100 Thieves have experienced considerable roster changes in the past few months. After exiting EWC 2025 at the group stages with a 1-2 record, they went on to make wholesale changes. Timotino, vora, and bang joined the lineup. The changes have had a positive impact this year, as the California-based team progressed through the Americas Qualifier with a 3-0 record.
In the group stages of this year’s EWC, they beat Edward Gaming and Rex Regum Qeon, to advance 2-0.
Team Vitality
Vitality had an underwhelming start to 2026. Their VCTA EMEA elimination, at the hands of Team Liquid, saw them miss out on the Masters. Although they lost to Team Heretics in the Stage 1 final at EMEA Stage 1, they did enough to qualify for the Masters London, where they finished in 4th place after getting a measure of revenge over Heretics and beating FUT Esports.
In the group stages at the EWC, their victory over NRG, backed up with a win over Karmine Corp, saw them top the group. They are playing their way back into form at just the right time and, along with MIBR, are considered favourites to win the the lion’s share of the prize and land their first Club Championship points.
Gentle Mates
Gentle Mates qualified for the Masters Santiago by finishing top 2 at the VCT EMEA Kickoff. At Santiago, they had an unblemished record in the group stages, but lost two consecutive games in the playoffs for what would ultimately be seen as a disappointing performance.
In Paris, they only needed two matches to progress, beating XLG Esports and, impressively, Nongshim RedForce.
Team Heretics
Team Heretics have enjoyed an up and down year so far. Despite dropping to the lower bracket early on, they went on to beat BBL, Fnatic, and a handful of other teams to win the regional VCT 2026 EMEA Stage 1. However, at the Masters London they were convincingly beaten by Vitality and Leviatan.
In the EWC group stages, they handed MIBR.LOS their only defeat, and progressed as group leaders. Their up and down form makes them difficult to fancy, although they do have potential and are the defending champions.
BBL Esports
BBL Esports’ new roster enjoyed early success by winning the EMEA Kickoff event and progressing to the Masters Santiago. They made it to the playoff stages but were ultimately eliminated by G2 Esports.
In Paris, they defeated EDward Gaming to progress from the group stages, having already defeated them earlier in the groups, but losing to 100 Thieves. Although unlikely to go all the way, they have the capability to upset top teams.
NRG
NRG had a particularly strong run in Santiago, topping the initial group and beating Liquid 2-0 along the way before making it all the way to the bracket finals. They lost 2-0 to Nongshim RedForce in the upper bracket final, and 3-1 to Paper Rex in the lower bracket, bringing their tournament to an end.
In Paris, they lost to Vitality, after beating Paper Rex, and progressed with a win against Karmine Corp in the decider. They face Gentle Mates in the next round – a match in which they will fancy their chances, so they may enjoy a deeper run.
Nongshim RedForce
A win in the Pacific League Kickoff saw Nongshim RedForce progress straight to Santiago, where they made history by becoming the first Ascension team to win the tournament. They beat Gentle Mates, G2 and NRG along the way, showing they have the capability to beat any roster on their day.
In the group stages here, they once again made short work of G2, beating them 2-1 in the group stage and the decider. But, they have to take on Team Vitality to progress further, and that seems too much of an ask.
MIBR.LOS
MIBR.LOS have really only had an average season so far. They ultimately finished in 5th/6th position at the VCT Americas Stage 1 after a serious rebuild.
However, they dominated Global Esports in their opening match in Paris, winning 13-2 on Lotus, which has seemingly swayed a lot of fans as they now sit as one of the tournament favourites. Next, they face 100 Thieves, who had a fairly easy run of the playoffs, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see MIBR in the semi-finals.
