100 Thieves and G2 Esports advance to the Lower Bracket Semifinals as NRG and T1 bow out

As the only region yet to lose any of its representatives at VALORANT Champions Shanghai, VCT Americas was bound to see at least one of its four teams eliminated this Sunday. The Lower Bracket Quarterfinals featured an all-American showdown between NRG and 100 Thieves, the two finalists of the Esports World Cup, meaning one of them was inevitably going to bow out. The result was the same as in the EWC final and the Stage 2 Upper Bracket Final of the Americas league: a victory for 100 Thieves. In the day's other matchup, G2 Esports, the third North American team still in contention, got the better of T1.

The day opened with a closely fought battle on Sunset between the two VCT Americas sides. On 100 Thieves' map pick, NRG took an early lead thanks to Georgio "keiko" Sanassy's three kills in the pistol round, moving ahead 3-0. However, the reigning world champions struggled to gain access to the bomb sites for the remainder of their T side and went into the half trailing 5-7. Although 100T came under pressure again after losing the second pistol round and surrendering their lead, they quickly regained control. With the Thieves leading 11-10, Peter "Asuna" Mazuryk and Matthew "Cryo" Panganiban won a 2v4 that paved the way for victory, which ultimately came in overtime (14-12).

Haven, by contrast, was a one-sided affair. While Brock "brawk" Somerhalder managed to stand out to some extent, NRG's team play was largely toothless against their opponents' reads and efficiency in duels. Malkolm "bonkar" Rench's men managed just four rounds on attack — and none on defense. Clearly the stronger side on Sunday, 100 Thieves brought NRG's difficult season to an end. Throughout 2026, the reigning world champions have struggled against teams from their own region at international events, including both Masters tournaments, the EWC, and now Champions.

The second matchup began with a thrilling duel between Alexander "jawgemo" Mor and Kim "Meteor" Tae-oh on Lotus, T1's map pick. Both Duelists were in fine form, finishing the map with 27 kills apiece. After a contest that remained close from start to finish, G2 edged it by the narrowest of margins, 13-11. Abyss was no less competitive. The teams remained neck and neck until the score reached 9-9, when T1 began to pull away. Led by an outstanding performance from Ham "iZu" Woo-Joo (1.38 rating), the Korean side won 13-10 to level the series.

Although the opening rounds on Ascent suggested another nail-biter was in store, the map ultimately unfolded quite differently. T1 kept pace through the first 12 rounds, leaving the sides level at 6-6 at the half, but the Koreans faded after switching sides. G2, who are currently playing their last dance, strung together round after round on defense, giving the VCT Pacific representatives no room to breathe, and closed out the map 13-6.

The next Lower Bracket round will see 100 Thieves take on G2 on October 16. The two teams know each other well and have already crossed paths in the opening round of the playoffs on October 8, when the Thieves secured a comfortable 2-0 victory. The winner will face the loser of the Upper Bracket Final — between Team Vitality and LOUD, scheduled to take place a few hours earlier — in the final round of the Lower Bracket. With LOUD, 100 Thieves, and G2 Esports all still in contention, VCT Americas is guaranteed to have at least one team in the Grand Final, which will be played on October 18.