As the new season approaches, the Americas region enters 2026 with twelve
VALORANT teams, an exceptionally active offseason, and projects that have been thoroughly reworked. Between partner organisations and the Ascension winners, every organization arrives with at least one significant change, and the race toward Masters Santiago begins almost immediately.
The season will open with the
VCT Americas Kickoff. The competition will be played in a triple-elimination format, with the top three teams securing qualification for
Masters Santiago. Once again, the league is built around the ten partner teams and two Ascension teams. The Ascension representatives for 2026 are G2 Esports and ENVY, with ENVY replacing 2GAME Esports among the participating teams after 2GAME exited VCT Americas following an underwhelming run of results.
One of the most notable moves involves MIBR, who made a major signing by bringing in
Zachary “zekken” Patrone to pair him with Erick
“aspas” Santos, on paper, one of the league’s most explosive duos. At the same time, Gabriel
“cortezia” Cortez takes the opposite route, leaving MIBR to join Sentinels, who are beginning a new cycle with a substantially rebuilt roster.
