VALORANT: Sentinels to Begin Tryouts Ahead of the 2026 Season

After a solid 2025 campaign — even if it ended without a trophy — Sentinels are wasting no time preparing for next year. The organization’s CEO, Rob Moore, announced in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that the team will begin tryouts for the 2026 VALORANT Champions Tour Americas season.

In his message, Moore also reflected on the team’s impressive performances over the past two years. In 2024, Sentinels claimed both a domestic title — the VCT Americas Kickoff — and an international trophy at the Masters Madrid, before finishing fourth at Champions. It was, without a doubt, one of the most successful seasons in the organization’s VALORANT history.

2025 proved to be a more challenging year for the Red and Black, though one defined by consistency. The team qualified for every international event of the season — Masters Bangkok, Masters Toronto, and the Champions — while maintaining strong domestic performances across all splits. By doing so, they became the first team in the world to reach every international tournament and every domestic Upper Finals in 2025.

In the VCT Americas, Sentinels placed 2nd at both the Kickoff and Stage 1, before securing 3rd at Stage 2. Internationally, however, the results were less flattering. After a year of success in 2024, Sentinels struggled to replicate that form in 2025, finishing 7–8th, then 5–6th, and finally 13–16th across their international outings.

While not the year they hoped for, the team’s continued presence at the top of the Americas scene and consistent qualification for global events still offer reasons for optimism.

Acknowledging that the goal remains to win championships, Rob Moore introduced a particularly interesting point: tryouts involving players from Sentinels’ academy team, Cubert Academy.

In his post, he revealed that two members of the main roster, Zachary “zekken” Patrone and Amine “johnqt” Ouarid, are away this week, giving the organization a window to invite academy players to scrim and trial with the main roster.

This marks a positive shift in an esports ecosystem where academy systems are often underutilized. Head Coach Adam “kaplan” Kaplan will lead the evaluation process as Sentinels look to identify the ideal mix of talent and synergy heading into 2026.

While some Cubert Academy players will have the chance to prove themselves, it’s expected that Sentinels will also explore more established external options during the offseason.

The coming weeks are set to be crucial for the North American powerhouse, with extensive scrims and tryouts planned to build a roster capable of returning to championship form next year.

According to the Global Contract Database, three players — zekken, johnqt, and Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro — will see their contracts expire at the end of 2025, meaning Sentinels could be facing a significant roster overhaul as they aim to reclaim their former glory in 2026.