VALORANT Champions 2026: A guide to all four regions

With VALORANT Champions 2026 Shanghai starting in a week, it’s the perfect time to take a look at the 16 teams participating in the event, with four teams from the regions of China, EMEA, Pacific, and Americas. Expectations are sky-high for the biggest VCT event of the year, with many considering this to be one of the most stacked and exciting lineups of teams in the event’s history.

As the final Champions before a major shakeup in the structure of VCT, a lot of pride and prestige is on the line for the teams at this event. Sheep Esports highlights every team from each region, key players to look out for, and the overall expectations of every region at VALORANT Champions 2026.

#1 Seed: Karmine Corp (LewN, dos9, Avez, SUYGETSU, N4RRATE)

#2 Seed: Team Liquid (kamo, Kicks, nAts, GSR, trexx)

#3 Seed: FUT Esports (s0pp, yetujey, socialblEE, xeus, KROSTALY)

#4 Seed: Team Vitality (Chronicle, Derke, Jamppi, Sayonaras, PROFEK)

It is a mixed bag of opinions when it comes to EMEA’s power level coming into Champions 2026. On paper, Karmine Corp are absolutely incredible and had a zero to hero story in EMEA Stage 2. However, the region has undeniably been weaker than the Americas and Pacific in terms of gameplay. This makes it tough to gauge the true power of these EMEA teams.

Team Liquid are a complete wildcard with academy player Ognjen “GSR” Bondžić taking over the spot of Semyon “purp0” Borchev. FUT Esports had a very exciting run at Masters London, with Efe “s0pp” Tur standing out thanks to his high-octane gameplay. However, the team has had a dip in form ever since confirming their slot at the event.

Lastly, the lowest seed, Team Vitality, is arguably the most stacked team on paper and is the one that people from EMEA expect to go on a deep run despite being in extremely poor form. The sheer legacy and firepower are undeniable. Players like Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov and Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev can turn up big in high-pressure scenarios.

Ultimately, a lot of EMEA’s success at this event will be reliant on Team Vitality regaining their peak form and Karmine Corp maintaining their elite run. Some truly exciting players to watch out for include KC’s Marshall “N4RRATE” Massey, especially on his monstrous Chamber and Team Liquid’s Kamil “kamo” Frąckowiak, who has been in red hot form as of late.

#1 Seed: 100 Thieves (Asuna, Timotino, Vora, bang, Cryo)

#2 Seed: LOUD (DaviH, lukxo, erde, Darker, tkzin)

#3 Seed: NRG (skuba, brawk, Ethan, mada, keiko)

#4 Seed: G2 Esports (trent, leaf, valyn, babybay, jawgemo)

Americas is widely seen as the strongest and most competitive region in VCT. The fact that Masters London winner, Leviatán, were unable to make it to Champions speaks volumes to the depth of the region’s talent pool.

100 Thieves are coming into the tournament as one of the early favourites with Peter “Asuna” Mazuryk having a career-defining Stage 2. The rest of the team are no slouch either, with each player being able to take over games.

LOUD were the biggest surprise of Stage 2. The dynamic duo of Lucca “lukxo” Travaioli and rookie IGL Roberto “erde” Lobos are ones to watch throughout the event. Their explosive playstyle, unique comps, and deep map pool make them legitimate dark horses at Champions 2026.

The defending champions, NRG, are looking to go back-to-back but they have a tall task ahead of them. They find themselves in the group of death alongside Karmine Corp, Nongshim Redforce, and XLG Esports. Nevertheless, the team’s clutch factor and firepower should guarantee a deep run at the tournament.

G2 Esports, despite making it to Champions, look like a shell of their former selves. They ramped up in the Stage 2 playoffs just enough to qualify for Champions before being humiliated by LOUD. With reports of Francisco “kiNgg” Aravena and Eduardo “Sato” Nagahama joining the team in 2027, the last dance and lack of expectations might finally allow G2 to show up big at an international.

#1 Seed: Global Esports (UdoTan, PatMen, xavi8k, Kr1stal, autumn)

#2 Seed: Nongshim Redforce (Ivy, Rb, Francis, Xross, Dambi)

#3 Seed: Paper Rex (something, f0rsakeN, d4v41, Jinggg, invy)

#4 Seed: T1 (Meteor, stax, Munchkin, iZu, BuZz)

The only VCT region that has yet to lift a Champions trophy is on the hunt again with a blend of exciting young talents and established veterans. Global Esports emerged as the surprise number one seed from the region with an incredibly flexible and well-balanced roster. The key player to watch out for is the high-fragging rookie IGL Xavier “xavi8k” Juan.

With the slow return of Yoru in the meta, Nongshim Redforce are a terrifying team once again as Kim “Francis” Mu-bin has returned to his elite form. Fans can expect Lee “Dambi” Hyuk-kyu and him to wreak havoc again as they enter the event as favorites to lift the trophy.

Paper Rex had a Stage 2 to forget, but they were also the first team to secure a spot at Champions. No matter the form they show regionally, this team always turns it up a notch and shows up big on the main stage. Ilya “something” Petrov’s form should be kept a close eye on as his performance will be the biggest difference maker between a trophy lift and disappointment.

Despite having immense star power, T1 don’t have a lot of expectations on their shoulders as the fourth seed from Pacific. However, it would be foolish to write off a team with all five players being Masters winners… and because T1, as seed 4, always deliver at Worlds... The most consistent and flexible player to watch out for is Ham “iZu” Woo-joo.

#1 Seed: TYLOO (slowly, Scales, SiuFatBB, Splash, Erv)

#2 Seed: JD Gaming (jkuro, crownfisher, BerLIN, Yuicaw, zhe)

#3 Seed: EDward Gaming (ZmjjKK, Smoggy, nobody, CHICHOO, stew)

#4 Seed: XLG Esports (Rarga, happywei, WsLeo, NoMan, Lysoar)

The home region and the most unpredictable, VCT China, enters Champions with mixed opinions at best. The region is historically seen as the weakest, as most teams except EDward Gaming haven’t been consistent internationally. However, with the addition of a passionate crowd to cheer them on, this is the best chance for China to prove themselves that they should not be underestimated.

The debut of TYLOO on the biggest stage of VCT is a highly exciting storyline to follow. The number one seed from the region has unbelievable firepower and mechanics. The duo of Sun “slowly” Kelun and Moses “Splash” Jonathan can go toe-to-toe with the very best in the world. Led by fan favourite IGL Pong “SiuFatBB” Ka Hei, TYLOO are a sleeper pick to make a deep run at Champions 2026.

JD Gaming are seen as the weakest team in the event as everyone except IGL Chang “berLIN” Po-lin and Huang “Yuicaw” Yung-chieh are new to the international stage. However, this team should not be underestimated as they can definitely cook up some magic under the guidance of former BLG head coach Lee “bail” Sung-jae. The star player and most important piece to JDG’s success will be Niu “zhe” Zhe.

The 2024 Champions, EDward Gaming, will be massive home crowd favourites. However, the team could not even make it out of the play-ins in Stage 2. This alarming performance and doubt over their capabilities could be put to bed by the newest addition, Park “stew” Young-chan, one of the most prolific players in China. The former JDG superstar was often in the conversation alongside now-teammate Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang and Wang “whzy” Haozhe as the best Duelists in the region.

XLG Esports have established themselves as a mainstay in international VCT with their best performance coming at Masters London. Despite this, expectations are low around the squad as they have never shown their full potential. Arthur “Rarga” Churyumov and Teng “happywei” Min-wei are phenomenal talents. However, it’s hard to argue in favour of XLG at this stacked event, as they have a Herculean challenge ahead of them in the group of death against Nongshim Redforce, Karmine Corp, and NRG.