VCT Americas 2026 Power Rankings

The VCT Americas Kickoff will officially launch the new season this Thursday, January 15. Following an offseason marked by numerous roster moves across the league, ranging from reunions to new arrivals from other regions, the twelve teams will begin their 2026 campaign on fresh foundations.

This Kickoff edition carries immediate stakes: three tickets to Masters Santiago, the first international event of the year. The tournament will culminate in a triple-elimination format, an unprecedented first for franchised leagues featuring three finals.

NRG are the reigning VALORANT World Champions. After an inconsistent season and mid-year changes, Ethan “Ethan” Arnold’s squad managed to end up where few expected them to be. They reached the Stage 3 Americas final, where they fell to G2 Esports, before immediately propelling themselves into a second final in Paris at Champions against Fnatic, where they ultimately lifted the trophy. In doing so, Ethan became the first, and still the only player, to have won two Champions titles: the first with EG in 2023, and the second with NRG in 2025.

Very shortly after their coronation, Sam "s0m" Oh announced that he wanted to step back from the professional scene and, after years of competition, refocus on content creation. His departure removed an important piece from NRG’s roster. To fill the gap, the organization turned to Georgio "keiko" Sanassy, one of the most highly regarded prospects from the EMEA scene.

On G2 Esports side, they return for the season with a single change: in a move that caught many by surprise, Jonah “JonahP” Pulice was removed from the roster to make room for Andrej "BABYBAY" Francisty, the player who had already been called upon to replace Nathan "leaf" Orf at the start of Stage 3 Americas. This time, however, he will not be standing in temporarily; he will be part of the starting lineup from the outset.

They enter 2026 off the back of America's three-peat, having left no other American team the opportunity to claim a domestic title during that run. This year, they arrive with a clearly defined objective: to secure their first international trophy and to ensure their ambitions extend beyond regional success.

MIBR approaches the 2026 season with a project that appears markedly more ambitious on paper, supported by a clear rise in the squad’s level and by highly encouraging results at the end of last season. The major change is the arrival of Zachary "zekken" Patrone, an addition that immediately raises the team’s ceiling and, above all, creates a new dynamic alongside Erick "aspas" Santos, one of MIBR’s most reliable guarantees of round wins.

aspas, for his part, has extended his stay with the organization, a signal of continuity built around a performance leader and a desire to commit to a more sustainable long-term plan. For MIBR, the challenge now is to move beyond potential and translate this talent pool into a coherent unit, capable of establishing itself higher from the Kickoff and securing a spot at Masters Santiago.

Sentinels enter 2026 with an internal reorganization that reshapes the team dynamic. The signing of Matias "cortezia" Cortezia from MIBR is intended to provide greater stability and additional solutions in decisive moments, while also offering more flexibility in how the roster is configured.

At the same time, as Mohamed Amine "johnqt" Ouarid has chosen to step away from his IGL role, the leadership will be handed to Mirel "Kyu" Braco Hrustemovic, a newcomer to the 2026 lineup, who is expected to assume strategic direction from the outset. johnqt does not, however, disappear from the collective equation: he remains fully involved in communication as a secondary shotcaller, an essential conduit for preserving plan coherence and reinforcing decision-making.

On 100 Thieves’ side, the offseason appears to have been approached primarily as a period of consolidation rather than a complete overhaul: the aim is to rebuild on a clearer foundation, with a more defined in-game identity and a cleaner distribution of roles.

With the extensions of Matthew "Cryocells" Panganiban and Peter "Asuna" Mazuryk, alongside Sean "bang" Bezerra’s return to 100T, the objective for this opening stretch of the season is less about reinventing everything than about optimizing what is already in place. In a Kickoff where every series can immediately shape access to international events, 100 Thieves will, above all, need to demonstrate that this structural work translates into wins from the very first matches.

After beginning the 2025 season with disappointing results, Cloud9 steadily improved as the year progressed, ultimately finishing VCT Americas Stage 2 in fourth place. Although this performance was not quite enough to secure a qualification for Champions, the team nevertheless retained a strong core from last season, most notably its duelist Francis "OXY" Hoang, along with Erick "Xeppaa" Bach and Victor "v1c" Truong.

They will be joined by Canadian player Erik "penny" Penny, who made his VCT debut with APEKS, as well as a significant reinforcement in Jordan "Zellsis" Montemurro, arriving from Sentinels. With these additions, C9 once again positions itself as a serious contender for the upper ranks of the league.

For Evil Geniuses, the start of the 2026 season follows a clear rebuilding logic, to regain a steadier trajectory and establish a more controlled framework of play over the long term. After a period of transition, the challenge is not merely to assemble talent, but to build a structure capable of holding under pressure.

With the return of Corbin “COM” Lee, EG will need to define its identity quickly to avoid the two-speed performances that often prove costly against the league’s most well-drilled rosters. In this Kickoff, the organization will be looking above all to turn its roster adjustments and role decisions into tangible execution. If EG wants to re-enter the race as early as January, the priority will be to demonstrate solid foundations before even discussing the ceiling.

Coming off its best year in 2024, Leviatán was unable to replicate that success this past season, failing to qualify for any international events. The team underwent significant roster changes, with Corbin "C0M" Lee and Anthony "okeanos" Nguyen departing for Evil Geniuses, while Ian "tex" Botsch joined MIBR.

To rebuild, Leviatán is placing its trust in rising talent. The organization has promoted academy players Guilherme "blowz" Oliveira and Bruno "Neon" Rodríguez, and added Joshua "PxS" Brunelli and Rodrigo "spikeziN" Lombardi, both of whom gained brief VCT experience with 2GAME Esports last year. The team hopes this new wave of youthful talent can help spark a return to form.

KRÜ Esports approach to 2026 through a deliberate roster overhaul, designed to reset on firmer ground and, above all, to build around two key reference points: Felipe “Less” de Loyola Basso and Matias “Saadhak” Delipetro, both former world champions. Their arrival immediately introduces a different standard of expectation, in terms of both discipline and game-reading, with the intention of structuring the team around a core capable of imposing a stable identity over time.

Less brings defensive reliability and positional discipline, while Saadhak adds a layer of leadership and macro-level understanding that should allow KRÜ to be clearer in their plans and more coherent in mid-round decision-making. The challenge now is to build a collective that truly capitalizes on this top-level experience: controlling the pace of series more effectively, converting advantages, and delivering more consistent execution in decisive moments.

Coming off its worst year in VCT Americas, LOUD had no choice but to respond with changes during the offseason. The former 2022 Champions winners finished last in both Stage 1 and Stage 2, closing out a season with little to celebrate. Despite this, four players from the roster will remain with the team next season.

The organization is adding Sebastián "Darker" Cicuamia after his strong performances in the VCL last year, alongside Head Coach Gonzalo "Romanilly" Manzano, who joins him. Roberto "erde" Lobos is also joining the roster, although he will have to wait until he turns 18 on February 12 to become eligible.

After another year where results were far from expectations, FURIA is once again rebuilding in hopes of finding a stronger footing in VCT. Last season, the Brazilian team finished near the bottom of the standings in all three stages and ultimately parted ways with its entire roster and coaching staff.

For 2026, FURIA is turning to younger players who already have experience in VCT, bringing in Arthur "artzin" Araujo, GianFranco "koalanoob" Potestio, and Daniel "eeiu" Vucenovic. They are also joined by Kyrgyz player Torogul "alym" Baidyldaev and Michael "nerve" Yerrow.

ENVY entered VCT Americas after securing their slot through Ascension, with everything that entails: a roster built to win, yet still requiring adjustment to meet the demands of a franchised league. Two changes quickly became unavoidable, not for performance-related reasons, but due to regulations: Alex “canezerra” Banyasz and Ayan “ion2x” Rastogi are not of age, and players must be 18 to compete in the franchised league.

To round out their 2026 roster, Envy therefore brought in Angelo “keznit” Mori and Daniel “Rossy” Abedrabbo, two more experienced profiles expected to provide immediate reliability and structure in a season where adaptation will matter as much as raw talent. The challenge now is to integrate these additions without losing the identity that carried them through Ascension, and to show that the team can establish itself from the Kick-off at VCT pace.