A reflection of a season full of surprises, four teams are reaching
VALORANT Champions 2026 as the No. 1 seed for the first time in their history. Even more surprisingly, three of those four teams,
Karmine Corp,
TYLOO, and
Global Esports, are competing in their first end-of-season competition since entering
VALORANT. 100 Thieves have already participated in the competition in 2022 but never during the partnership era.
Being the No. 1 seed does not necessarily mean being a favorite to win the competition. Last year, for example, Bilibili Gaming and Team Liquid were eliminated in the group stage, while G2 Esports followed them after just two playoff matches. The teams' chances of making a deep run are not all equal, depending on the strengths they can rely on.
TYLOO, China's new hope
The newly crowned VCT China champions are competing in the first international event in their history after finding their rhythm during Stage 2. Boasting remarkable individual talents such as Sun "slowly" Kelun, who was named the best player of the season in his region, TYLOO will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of EDward Gaming, the 2024 Champions winners, and triumph in front of their home crowd in Shanghai.
However, the Chinese region has not enjoyed much success on the international stage for some time now, and aside from Pong "SiuFatBB" Ka Hei, none of TYLOO's players have international experience. Will the momentum the team built during Stage 2 be enough to escape the group stage, or will one or more of the teams looking to bounce back, such as Team Liquid or Paper Rex, prove their worth?
Global Esports, not taken seriously enough?
After a surprise
VCT Pacific victory following a reverse sweep against Nongshim RedForce, Global Esports have every chance to showcase their talent at Champions. Facing
Team Vitality in their opening match after a difficult draw, the Indian team could very well prove from the outset that they did not get here by chance. With plenty of experience and steady improvement throughout the season, Global Esports have earned their region's No. 1 seed.
Despite this, the shadow of London and a failed first international campaign of the season still hangs over the team. They were beaten by the eventual winners of the event, Leviatán, as well as Xi Lai Gaming, and GE will have to show a very different side of themselves against teams from other regions. It is also difficult to view them as the main threat from the Pacific region when teams such as Nongshim and Paper Rex can be so formidable internationally.
Karmine Corp, EMEA's answer?
After a nightmarish first half of the season, Karmine Corp completely turned things around to dominate Stage 2. Almost comfortably defeating each of their opponents in the playoffs, the French team will notably rely on the talent of Marshall "N4RRATE" Massey, who has returned to the ranks of the world's best players, to take the team to the top of the competition. They also have several players with international experience, whether through the Esports World Cup or, in particular, Dmitrii "SUYGETSU" Iliushin, who won Masters Copenhagen 2022.
Performing in EMEA and performing internationally are not quite the same thing, however. The region has not won an international trophy since Fnatic's victory at Masters Tokyo in 2023. With the exception of Acend at the first edition of the competition in 2021, no EMEA team has won Champions to date. Drawn into the group of death alongside Xi Lai Gaming, NRG, and Nongshim RedForce, KC will find out very quickly how far they can go at this event.
100 Thieves, the team to beat
After winning the Esports World Cup and then dominating during Stage 2, there is little doubt that 100 Thieves are among the competition's biggest favorites. The team has been on a remarkable run for several months. Led by Peter "Asuna" Mazuryk, who has returned to his best level, every player contributes through their individual talent within one of the strongest team units in the world.
100 Thieves will no longer be able to benefit from the element of surprise they had at the
Esports World Cup, and every team will now be taking extra precautions against the American squad. Despite their status as favorites, the team has already shown, notably in the
VCT Americas final against
LOUD, that they are not invincible. Aside from that, they remain one of the most reliable No. 1 seeds, and it is difficult to see them losing in a group featuring T1, FUT Esports, and JD Gaming.
