VALORANT Champions 2026 begins in a few days, and some of the
world’s best rookie players will grace the biggest VCT stage for the first time. A total of 16 players at this event made their tier-one debut in 2026 and have already reached the most important tournament of the year.
However, only five could make it to the Sheep Esports All-Pro Rookie team for VALORANT Champions 2026. Before the team is revealed, please keep in mind that none of the 16 players are dedicated Sentinels or a secondary Duelist who primarily plays Yoru, Waylay, and Phoenix, two prominent roles coming into the tournament.
Entry Duelist: Timotino (100 Thieves, VCT Americas)
Timothée "
Timotino" Lavigne Dupont has firmly established himself as one of the brightest young stars in his debut year in VCT Americas,
culminating in a Stage 2 title win. While he doesn’t post eye-catching stats, he is essential to the system that 100 Thieves have found immense success with ever since their victory at the 2026 Esports World Cup.
Timotino’s selfless nature as a Neon and Jett player allows Peter “Asuna” Mazuryk to truly shine on the Phoenix. Timotino also has the capabilities to take over a game by himself with his explosive mechanics. All of this pairs excellently for 100 Thieves and is an important reason as to why they are early favourites to lift the trophy.
Secondary Dueslit: Splash (TYLOO, VCT China)
Moses “
Splash” Jonathan has, well, truly made a “splash” in VCT China in his debut year. Despite TYLOO’s lack of success early in the year, the raw mechanics and talent Splash showed were undoubtedly amazing alongside Sun “
slowly” Kelun. This eventually led
TYLOO to a Stage 2 trophy lift thanks to the addition of IGL Pong “
SiuFatBB” Ka Hei
While Splash operates as an entry for TYLOO, he does flex over to the Phoenix when slowly plays Jett. This is why he slots into the All-Pro team as a secondary Duelist alongside Timotino. Splash’s exceptional aim and synergy with slowly is a big reason why TYLOO have potential to make a deep run in front of a home crowd.
CONTROLLER: Xavi8k (Global Esports, VCT Pacific)
Xavier “xavi8k” Juan is easily Global Esports’ most important player at this event. The rookie IGL is the highest rated individual in this incredibly flexible team where seemingly any player can play any role.
Xavi8k primarily plays Controller for the team and shares playtime on Omen with Patrick “PatMen” Mendoza. However, he can also play and shares time on the pick with Savva “Kr1stal” Fedorov.
Xavi is also one of the best Astra players at this tournament. Despite being the #1 seed from Pacific, a lot of their potential success at Champions is reliant on the young Filipino IGL showing up big.
Controller: erde (LOUD, VCT Americas)
Roberto “
erde” Lobos absolutely stole the show in LOUD's VCT Americas Stage 2 playoffs run, where they pulled off a 2nd place finish that also ended up
eliminating Masters London winners, Leviatán, from Champions contention. erde is the closest player to a rookie Sentinel at this event, as the rookie Chilean IGL’s Sage is absolutely lethal. He also plays Omen and Astra to a very high level. The dangerous pairing of Lucca “lukxo” Travaioli and erde is one to keep a very close eye on as their performances can propel LOUD to a dark horse run.
Initiator: Sayonara (Team Vitality, VCT EMEA)
Despite Team Vitality’s woeful performance in the VCT EMEA Stage 2 playoffs, Ștefan "Sayonara" Mîtcu has been an absolute monster on an individual level. The highly touted rookie, ever since his time with KPI Gaming in 2024, has a great opportunity to cement himself as a superstar player, considering Vitality don’t have high expectations.
Sayonara’s utility usage on Fade and Sova, along with his crisp aim and smart macro, makes him stand out from most Initiators. If Vitality hope to unlock their peak form and live up to the initial hype at the start of the year, Sayonara needs to maintain his exceptional form in a very tough group consisting of LOUD, EDward Gaming and Global Esports.
Honorable mentions
Despite a very poor start to the season, Okan “KROSTALY” Alaçam has massively stepped up for FUT Esports to be an important backbone for the team. Jordan “vora” Pulver has had an amazing debut season for a rookie IGL with 100 Thieves and only loses out on a spot due to individual inconsistencies.
Efe “s0pp” Tur’s explosive and fun entry Duelist playstyle will make him one of the most exciting players to watch at this event. Nongshim RedForce’s Jung “Xross” Hwan had an incredible start to the year but cooled off a bit before returning to his sharp form towards the end of Stage 2.
Finally, Sebastián "Darker" Cicuamia was one of the key pieces for LOUD alongside lukxo early in the season before taking a step back due to Enzo “tkzin” Zimiani and erde standing out more in Stage 2.
