As is often the case, a
VALORANT season is filled with surprises, unexpected runs and, naturally, disappointments. With
VALORANT Champions 2026 set to begin in just a few days and the 16 best teams in the world preparing to face off in Shanghai for the most prestigious trophy of the season, several historic teams from the competition have been left on the sidelines.
A number of teams that put together strong performances throughout the year but ultimately failed to do enough to qualify will miss the competition. Among them are several of the most established organizations in VALORANT, whose absence from the event will undoubtedly feel unusual.
Leviatán
Probably the best team in the world not to participate in Champions, the Argentine squad and Masters London winners will miss the competition. With a roster packed with talent, Leviatán saw the worst-case scenario unfold against them in the final matches of the season after finishing 5th-6th in VCT Americas Stage 2. Only five teams in the world finished with more Championship Points than Leviatán. A particularly cruel ending that denies the region's young stars a chance to compete on the biggest stage of the season.
Fnatic
Finalists at last year's competition and participants at every edition of Champions since the tournament's creation, Fnatic will miss the final event of the season for the first time. The multiple-time EMEA champions endured a chaotic year in which they never found the formula that would allow them to return to the top of the region. It is also the first competitive season in which Fnatic have failed to participate in an international event, as well as a first for some of the organization's most iconic players, such as Jake "Boaster" Howlett and Emir "Alfajer" Beder.
Team Heretics
Like Fnatic, another historic EMEA organization has been left on the sidelines. Team Heretics will miss Champions for the first time since 2023. The disappointment comes just months after the team won VCT EMEA Stage 1, the first VCT trophy in its history following a series of lost finals. However, the Spanish team was never able to capitalize on that peak in form. Despite accumulating a significant number of Championship Points, the pieces ultimately failed to fall into place for TH to achieve their goal, with the team being eliminated in the Stage 2 Play-Ins.
Sentinels
One of the historic names in the Americas region, Sentinels will miss Champions after a chaotic season. After being a constant presence at international competitions last season, the transition into this year did not go as planned, and Sentinels were never able to recover. The team failed to reach the VCT Americas playoffs at any point this season and, on top of that, watched several of their former teammates from last year perform better or qualify for Champions, including Sean "bang" Bezerra (100 Thieves) and Marshall "N4RRATE" Massey (Karmine Corp).
DRX
Another team that had become a regular at Champions since entering the game, DRX will miss the competition for the first time in their history. Consistently reaching the playoffs and finishing third at the previous edition, DRX spent this season stuck in the middle of the standings without ever managing to break away from the pack. This will also be the first edition of Champions missed by Kim "MaKo" Myeong-kwan since the beginning of his career.
Gen.G Esports
Already absent from the competition last season, Gen.G will now miss Champions for a second consecutive year. After reaching the highest level in 2024, Gen.G gradually lost momentum last season before falling towards the bottom of the standings this year. The team showed signs of a resurgence in Stage 2, qualifying directly for the playoffs after a strong group stage. Unfortunately, they were unable to maintain that form afterwards and ultimately missed out on qualification in favor of teams that were stronger and more consistent throughout the season.
