The All-Pro Team of players missing Champions 2026

VALORANT Champions 2026 will begin in a few weeks, with the world's best players preparing to battle for the ultimate trophy of the season. After a long year in which many of them stood out on their way to the top of the competition, some unfortunately did not get the chance to make it there despite their efforts. Even with high-level individual performances or remarkable consistency throughout the season, several players will not take part in the competition.

With their seasons already over, they still deserve to be mentioned ahead of Champions, as their absence will also leave its mark on the competition in their own way. To that end, Sheep Esports presents its All-Pro Team of players missing Champions, with a maximum of one player per team, while building the most realistic lineup possible and respecting each player's role.

The EMEA Duelist took another step forward this year, establishing himself as one of the best players in his role. He made a blistering start to the season on his signature agent, Yoru, and notably helped Gentle Mates qualify for Masters Santiago, breaking the best-of-five kill record previously held by Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang. However, M8 ultimately lacked the resources to reach Champions, with the team finishing in the bottom four of VCT EMEA Stage 2.

The veteran of Leviatán's young roster will be left on the sidelines despite his team's strong performance at Masters London. The Argentine team became the first in history to win a Masters without subsequently qualifying for Champions. The team's Controller and In-Game Leader will therefore watch the competition from home despite putting together consistent performances throughout the season. His last appearance at Champions came in 2024, when Leviatán finished third.

The former Gen.G Esports player joined VARREL ahead of Stage 2 and made a significant impact on the Japanese team. The Sentinel finally showed his full potential, carrying the team to a fourth-place finish in VCT Pacific, which ultimately proved insufficient to qualify for Champions. Along the way, VARREL at least managed to eliminate Paper Rex in the lower bracket, securing the team's best VCT result of the season.

Team Heretics' most solid and consistent player throughout the season will not be making it to Champions. After winning his first VCT title in Stage 1, the rest of his team's season proved more difficult, with Heretics showing both their best and worst sides. The team's Initiator nevertheless maintained a high standard throughout Stage 2, despite more questionable performances in the playoffs. He will miss Champions for the first time since joining the VCT.

The Brazilian Duelist will also miss Champions for the first time since joining the VCT in 2022. Although he put together a less prolific season than in previous years, he remained at a very high level individually, but it was not enough. Aside from their participation at the Esports World Cup, where they still reached the quarterfinals, the gamble taken by Made In Brazil and its new roster failed to pay off this season.

Despite an individually excellent season, Papaphat "Primmie" Sriprapha does not make our lineup, which already features two exceptional Duelists. Due to the one-player-per-team restriction, several Leviatán players, notably Eduardo "Sato" Nagahama and Bruno "Neon" Rodríguez, are also left out despite reaching high individual peaks throughout the season. Fnatic's players, who performed below the individual level they had displayed in previous seasons, will also be absent. As a result, neither Emir "Alfajer" Beder nor Jake "Boaster" Howlett makes the lineup.