Sources - VALORANT: johnqt to remain with Sentinels for 2026

He was one of the most anticipated names of this offseason, Amine "johnqt" Ouarid has reportedly reached a verbal agreement with Sentinels to continue his journey with the North American organization in 2026, according to sources close to Sheep Esports. The Moroccan Sentinel is expected to remain alongside Marshall "N4RRATE" Massey, his teammate from this past season, and will be joined by three new players, including Mirel "Kyu" Hrustemovic.

Sentinels’ 2025 season could have been perfect—if not for the G2 Esports juggernaut. The year began with a runner-up finish at the VCT Americas Kickoff, where SEN fell 2–3 in a tightly contested grand final against G2. Their qualification for VALORANT Masters Bangkok would soon follow, but the team struggled to find its rhythm, exiting in the group stage after consecutive losses to DRX and Team Liquid.

Back home in Los Angeles for the regular season, johnqt and his teammates breezed through the group stage and even managed to defeat G2 during the playoffs of Stage 1. Advancing to the grand final from the upper bracket, Sentinels once again faced their rivals—but this time, G2 completed a remarkable lower bracket run to claim a second continental title in 2025.

Sentinels, however, returned stronger at the next Masters event. They advanced from the opening phase with a clean 2–0 record, and in the playoffs at Toronto, SEN defeated XLG Esports before falling to Paper Rex and Fnatic, finishing the event in 5th–6th place.

All but guaranteed a spot at Champions 2025 in Paris, Sentinels hit their lowest point of the year on home soil. The team placed third in Stage 2 after a loss to NRG, failing to reach another final. In France, history repeated itself. Placed in Group A, the North American squad was eliminated after a 0–2 run, losing to GIANTX and then to XLG, who got their revenge from Toronto.