VALORANT — VCT Stage 2: Sentinels qualified for Champions Paris, Wolves out of Stage 2, Paper Rex secures

A new week of competition across the four International Leagues wrapped up on Sunday, August 3, with Sentinels notably securing qualification for VALORANT Champions Paris. Over in VCT CN, Wolves Esports—third-place finishers at Masters Toronto—have been knocked out of playoff contention after yet another group-stage loss in Omega Group. However, they're not entirely out of the running for Champions just yet. In VCT Pacific, only two playoff spots remain up for grabs, with the Alpha Group’s final standings still undecided.

Wolves are undoubtedly the biggest disappointment in the Chinese league, suffering a surprising elimination in Omega Group. After a rough start to Stage 2, Pong “SuiFatBB” Ka-hei and his teammates bounced back briefly, only to lose the crucial Week 4 match against NOVA Esports. Already out of the playoff race themselves, NOVA took Wolves down with them, leaving Wolves’ Champions hopes in the hands of Trace Esports and Dragon Ranger Gaming. All other teams still in contention via circuit points have advanced to the playoffs.

In addition to NOVA and Wolves, JD Gaming and Titan Esports Club have also been eliminated—this time in Alpha Group. As expected, reigning world champions EDward Gaming secured a playoff spot, maintaining the top position in the circuit points standings and staying on track to defend their title in Paris. Bilibili Gaming and XLG Esports, the #1 seed from the last Masters, both topped their respective groups with four wins and one loss. With the stage set, the VCT CN playoffs will kick off on Saturday, August 9.

In the Americas, Sentinels remain the only team to have secured a playoff berth so far, standing alone at the top of Alpha Group with three wins. Following a dominant win over Cloud9, the North American org also locked in its spot at Champions Paris 2025, joining G2 Esports, who had already secured qualification prior to Stage 2. Both teams are now guaranteed spots at Champions through circuit points, regardless of how far they go in the playoffs.

Elsewhere, the race remains wide open in both groups. After a rocky start, nearly all the Brazilian teams have bounced back—except FURIA, who remain winless at 0-3 following a loss to 2GAME Esports. Meanwhile, in Omega Group, MIBR grabbed a critical win over 100 Thieves, solidifying their third place in the circuit points standings.

Things are already much clearer in the Pacific region, where only two playoff spots remain unclaimed. In Omega Group, the picture is already settled, with BOOM Esports and ZETA DIVISION eliminated. As expected, Masters Toronto champions Paper Rex advanced from groups, along with TALON, T1, and DetonatioN FocusMe. For the Japanese org, this marks their first-ever playoff qualification in VALORANT after a string of tough seasons.

The race is still on in Alpha Group, where three teams are fighting for the last two spots. Global Esports, having lost to Nongshim RedForce, are out of contention. Gen.G Esports and DRX have already punched their tickets to the next stage. Nongshim, RRQ, and Team Secret will now battle it out in Week 4 for the final two playoff spots. Notably, RRQ and Team Secret will face each other this Sunday, August 10, in a match that will keep one team’s Champions dream alive.