VALORANT’s strongest teams in each region before Champions Shanghai

As the dust settles on the 2026 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Stage 2 events, we turn our attention to the crowning event of the year: Champions Shanghai. At the heart of the discussions is one simple question: which teams are the strongest in each region?

Building on an earlier analysis of the strongest VCT regions in 2026, I’ve identified four teams leading the race before Champs. Before I highlight the most impressive squads, though, here’s how I decided which ones to feature.

Many fans might disagree with my picks and would rather see fan favourites such as Paper Rex or NRG named. Instead, I selected the VCT 2026 Stage 2 winners as the strongest teams in each region. 

At the highest level of esports, teams that peak at the right time often put themselves in contention for titles. With that in mind, triumphing at Stage 2 gives each regional champion valuable momentum heading into VALORANT Champions 2026.

The elephant in the room is “recency bias” – basically, overvaluing recent events while ignoring historical context. However, recent results hold significant weight as indicators of player form and how teams tactically adapt to the current meta. 

Last but not least, Riot Games uses Stage 2 performance and Championship Points to seed the draw, which determines Champions groups. You might not agree with the reasoning for picking these teams as the “strongest,” and that’s totally fine.

Note: Individual player ratings and stats were sourced from VLR.gg and are accurate as of Sep. 7, 2026. I’ve included the overall Rating (2.0), Average Combat Score (ACS), Kill: Death (K:D), Average Damage per Round (ADR), Kills Per Round (KPR), and Kill/Assist/Survive/Trade (KAST) percentage.

There’s no better example of hitting peak form at the perfect time than 100 Thieves.

The North American juggernaut finished 4th in Stage 1 and missed qualification for both Masters events. However, they hit their stride at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026, earning a spot by sweeping LOUD 3–0 in the qualifiers. 

In front of a crowd in Paris during the EWC 2026 playoffs, 100 Thieves went on to beat MIBR 2–1, Nongshim RedForce 2–1, and finally NRG 3–1 to lift the trophy. Matthew ‘Cryocells’ Panganiban was the spearhead of the attack, earning the MVP award.

Proving that their success at EWC 2026 wasn’t a fluke, 100 Thieves proceeded to top Group Omega in VCT 2026 Stage 2 Americas with a 4–1 record. 

In the playoffs, Jordan ‘vora’ Pulwer led his team to decisive 2–0 wins over Leviatán and NRG in the upper bracket to secure a grand final spot. In a slugfest of a series, 100 Thieves took down LOUD 3–2 to earn the top Americas seed going into Champions Shanghai.

100 Thieves hold the #3 spot on the Global Power Rankings (GPR), with a 17–8 record and 1449 points. They are technically 2nd in the Americas, behind Leviatán, who failed to earn a spot at Champs.

100 Thieves roster:

Asuna was named the MVP of the VCT Americas Stage 2 grand final.

Find the individual player stats for the 100 Thieves roster outlined below. 

Ranked #2 globally and #1 in Pacific with a 16–12 record and 1455 points, Global Esports is my top pick for the Pacific region. Sorry, Paper Rex fans!

Global Esports has been slowly gaining momentum throughout the year. At the VCT Pacific Kickoff, they finished 7th–8th, and in Stage 1, they finished 3rd, qualifying for Masters London, where they finished 9th–10th. While Global Esports dropped out early at EWC 2026, they bounced back in style.

After a solid 3–2 record in Group Alpha of VCT 2026 Pacific Stage 2, Global Esports powered up during the playoffs. They defeated DRX 2–1 and VARREL 2–0, before suffering a 1–2 defeat at the hands of Nongshim RedForce. A 3–1 victory over T1 earned Global Esports a spot in the grand final.

Nongshim RedForce took a commanding 2–0 lead and, with their backs against the wall, Global Esports delivered one of the greatest comebacks in VALORANT esports history. They won the last three maps in a row to complete a historic reverse sweep.

Bouncing back from a 0–2 deficit to win Stage 2 showed incredible big-match temperament and should give Global Esports all the confidence they could need going into Champions Shanghai.

Global Esports roster

South Korean superstar Go ‘UdoTan’ Kyung-won was named the Finals MVP of VCT 2026 Pacific Stage 2.

Get acquainted with the Global Esports roster by checking out various stats.

Despite not qualifying for either Masters Santiago or Masters London, TYLOO hold the #1 spot in China and #13 globally on the GPR, with an 18–10 record and 1,321 points!

TYLOO produced improved form in Group Alpha of Stage 2, recording an impressive 4–1 record to earn a spot in the playoffs, but lost the seeding match against one of the favourites, XLG Esports.

After defeating Titan Esports Club, TYLOO got knocked down to the lower bracket by JD Gaming, who went on to beat Bilibili Gaming 2–0 for a spot in the grand final.

TYLOO impressed me with their resilience on the brink of elimination, making a dominant lower-bracket run as they eliminated All Gamers 2–0, NOVA Esports 2–0, and Bilibili Gaming 3–0.

Despite JD Gaming taking the opening map of the grand final, TYLOO stabilised and won the next three in a row to claim the trophy with a 3–1 victory.

TYLOO roster:

Indonesian player Moses ‘Splash’ Jonathan picked up four MVP awards during Stage 2, making a “splash” to help his team qualify for Champs.

Check out the individual player stats for the current TYLOO roster for an overview of their performances at VCT 2026 China Stage 2.

Ranked #9 globally and #1 in EMEA according to the GPR, Karmine Corp has 1,384 points and an 8–9 record. They did not manage to earn a spot at Masters Santiago or Masters London.

Karmine Corp performed poorly at both the Kickoff and Stage 1 events. After finishing 9th–12th at EWC 2026, their season looked beyond recovery. However, they bounced back in VCT EMEA Stage 2, showing improvements in both individual form and tactical depth. 

Karmine Corp topped Group Omega with a 4–1 record. In the upper bracket of the playoffs, Hazem ‘avez’ Khaled led his team to a 2–1 win over Enterprise Esports and an impressive 2–0 sweep of FUT Esports.

In the grand final against Team Liquid, one of the favourites, Karmine Corp showed no mercy, winning convincingly 3–1 to lift the trophy.

Karmine Corp roster:

Kazakhstani star Dastan ‘dos9’ Zhumagali was named the MVP of the grand final, testing Team Liquid at every turn.

For an overview of Karmine Corp’s player performances throughout VCT 2026 EMEA Stage 2, check out the table below.