VCT EMEA 2026 Stage 2 Power Rankings

With VCT EMEA set to resume in just a few hours, the battle for qualification to the VALORANT Champions Shanghai remains wide open. Before the final chapter of the 2026 VCT EMEA season gets underway, Sheep Esports presents its Power Rankings of all twelve VCT teams ahead of the opening matches of the Group Stage, this Wednesday. As a reminder, four VCL teams will also join the competition during the Play-In stage, which will take place immediately after the Group Stage, while the top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the playoffs.

After qualifying twice for international events this year, Team Vitality are entering Stage 2 sharp, having notably defeated NRG, the reigning world champion and finalist of the 2026 Paris Esports World Cup. Since the addition of Ștefan "Sayonara" Mîtcu in Stage 1, Vitality have shown a whole new side, with more confident and aggressive plays that allow them to dominate most of their opponents. Syonara is surrounded by VCT EMEA legends like Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov, Nikita Niko "Derke" Sirmitev, and the IGL Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen.

A roster that doesn't change and continues to work despite the difficulties, reaching new heights. That's what BBL represents in EMEA. Having arrived this year through the Ascension’s door, BBL dominated the league from the KickOff, qualifying for their first appearance at an international tournament: the Masters Santiago. After that, BBL went through a difficult phase but managed to show a new side during the Esports World Cup, finishing 4th.

As for the Spanish team Hérétics, they, like Vitality, have also experienced a new dynamic since the arrival of a new player. After an initial recruitment that proved inconclusive with Berkcan "ComeBack" Şentürk, the Benjamin "benjyfishy" David Fish team called on a young talent: Martynas "koshmaras" Namikas. Equipped with the ability to play aggressively as a duelist and with the most dangerous weapons in close combat, the Neon player has proven to be an indispensable member of the team. With this new team that has had time to adapt, Team Heretics are serious contenders for the Stage 2 VCT EMEA title.

For Fnatic, the year has been marked by several complications, starting with the replacement of Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov at the beginning of the season. His successor, Sylvain "Veqaj" Pattyn, gradually established himself as an important piece of the roster, consistently improving and delivering strong performances throughout the year. However, health issues forced the French player to step away, leaving Fnatic scrambling for solutions. The organization initially turned to fellow Frenchman Clement "CyvOph" Millard as an emergency stand-in before signing Kirill "Cloud" Nehozhin after Stage 1 and Andrey "ENGH" Sholokhov. Having missed out on every international event so far, Fnatic now face a do-or-die Stage 2, with a finals appearance crucial to keeping their championship hopes alive=)à

The surprise of these EMEA is FUT Esports. After shocking everyone in Stage 1 of the VCT EMEA, they went on to dominate the league. They claimed their ticket to the Masters London, the second international event of the year organized by Riot Games. With a group that includes young talent like Efe "s0pp" Tur, who shocked the world with the speed of his plays and his sharp aim, FUT Esports is a force to be reckoned with, especially in chaotic matches where strategy no longer matters. With more international experience, FUT is a dangerous competitor to be reckoned with, especially in matches where chaos reigns and strategies are ineffective.

The future seems bright for the Mates, who have made changes to their coaching staff and welcomed Yusuf Emre "Proxh" Tunc back to the team. After a difficult period, Gentle Mates bounced back by dominating Kickoff and achieving concrete results in their first year as a VCT partner, qualifying for Masters Santiago and the Esports World Cup. They were one of the first teams to expose the weaknesses of Masters Santiago champions Nongshim RedForce, and came close to eliminating them. With this experience, the team is positioned as a serious contender and could be ready to create a surprise.

After a disappointing start to the year and the return of one of the players who made history at Karmine Corp at the beginning of Stage 1, Marshall "N4RRATE" Massey and Andrey "ENGH" Sholokhov were benched to give the assistant coach, who has been present since the beginning, Ahmed "ZE1SH" El Sheikh, a chance. Following these changes, Karmine Corp showed a new face in the Esports World Cup qualifiers and then eliminated Paper Rex, the finalists of the Masters London, from the competition to earn a playoff ticket for the EWC. With this experience, KC enters Stage 2 as a clutch factor, where they can win against the best in the league and lose against the lower-tier rosters.

Despite the roster's undeniable potential, Team Liquid's 2026 season has been marked by inconsistency. While they have shown flashes of brilliance against some of the strongest opponents in EMEA, they have struggled to maintain the level required for international success.

Stage 2 is their final opportunity to turn the year around. Team Liquid will rely on its mix of experienced veterans and young talent to do so. If the roster can find consistency, Liquid could become one of the competition’s biggest threats.

After several roster changes throughout the season, Natus Vincere heads into Stage 2 with a renewed lineup built around a mix of experienced players and emerging talent. With Abdullah "ExiT" Al-Twaijri leading the project alongside players such as Emirhan "hiro" Kat and Clement "CyvOph" Millard, NAVI will aim to regain its place among EMEA’s top teams. Although the roster is still searching for consistency, the individual quality within the squad makes Natus Vincere a dangerous opponent. Stage 2 will be a crucial test for the organization as it looks to turn its potential into results.

Arriving in an emergency move during the previous Split to take over ULF’s former players, Eternal Fire finds itself ranked quite low despite a strong Stage 1 campaign that saw them finish just off the podium, in fourth place, narrowly missing out on qualification for Masters London. The name change also provided an opportunity to bring Baran "Izzy" Yılmaz into the roster, adding an experienced profile to a team coming from Ascension, with a majority of young players. The difference between their Top 4 finish in the latest Stage and the 9th-10th place they secured during Kickoff is proof of that progress. After a somewhat disappointing EWC qualifier performance, it remains to be seen whether the positive momentum from the previous Split will carry over.

GIANTX's roster changed at the end of Stage 1 with the departure of Cloud to Fnatic and Grubinho. With the recruitment of American player Net and Turkish player musz3kk, GIANTX is taking on the challenge of adapting and competing with the other teams from the beginning with two new players. This will be a major challenge for GIANTX. With the final deadline for qualifying for the Championship approaching, they cannot afford to make any mistakes, and a top 2 finish is essential if they want to participate in the biggest VALORANT event of the year.

It was difficult for the voters of this Power Rankings to place PCIFIC Esports anywhere other than among the lowest-ranked teams. Despite a few recent changes, including Manuel "thinkii" Martínez moving into the head coach role and the arrival of Wadir "waddle" Taraki in place of Mehmet "cNed" İpek, the Turkish organization is still coming off a very difficult year. Finishing 11th-12th in both the VCT EMEA Kickoff and Stage 1, PCIFIC also failed to make an impact during the Esports World Cup qualifier. These results are understandable, as the roster has yet to secure a single win in 2026, despite putting up some close fights on a few maps here and there.