VALORANT: Leaf will miss Esports World Cup due to health issues, Shhhack to stand in

Setbacks can come at the worst possible moment, particularly when you're aiming for a World Cup title. On Sunday, July 7, G2 Esports announced that they would be without Nathan "Leaf" Orf for the VALORANT tournament of the Esports World Cup 2025. The 20-year-old, who joined the roster in October 2023, has been sidelined due to health issues and will not be traveling to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “Unfortunately, due to health issues, Leaf will not be traveling with us to Riyadh,” G2 Esports said in a tweet.

Peter “Shhhack” Belej, the team's assistant coach, will take his place for the duration of the event. Although Shhhack is best known for his coaching roles in VALORANT, he has experience in competitive play, having previously competed with KPI in Spain.

Leaf's absence is a significant blow for G2. The team had looked solid going into the tournament, with Leaf providing aggressive firepower and flexibility. Shhhack will now have to adapt quickly to a high-level LAN environment and play against some of the world's top teams.

Still, G2 has shown resilience before. They will need to rally around experienced players like Alexander “Jawgemo” Mor and Jacob "Valyn" Batio to carry them through the group stage.

Although Shhhack’s stand-in role is not expected to be permanent, G2 has not yet provided a timeline for Leaf’s return. The player’s health is the priority, but depending on how the team performs in Riyadh, further changes may be necessary.

The current roster remains one of the most dynamic on the international scene. It remains to be seen whether this last-minute change will affect their gameplat and overall performance. They will compete against the Masters 2025 Toronto champions Pepper Rex, Karmine Corp, and Bilibili Gaming. G2 finished fourth in the competition.