Hours after 100 Thieves lifted the Americas Stage 2 trophy in São Paulo, Riot pulled the balls for Valorant Champions 2026. The draw show on Sunday sorted the 16 qualified teams into four groups and fixed the opening matches, and for anyone following the Valorant betting scene it delivered the two storylines that always sell: one group of death and one grudge match.
How the draw worked
Teams were split into four pools by regional seed. The only hard rule was that two teams from the same region could not land in the same group. Whenever that happened, the team was either moved to the next open slot or swapped with the most recently drawn side. That mechanism is exactly what produced the loudest complaint of the evening: a third-seed swap sent FUT Esports to Group A and, as a by-product, put G2 Esports and Paper Rex into the same group yet again. Fans on VLR were already arguing over whether the swap followed the rulebook minutes after the show ended.
The four groups
Group A: 100 Thieves (Americas #1), JD Gaming (China #2), FUT Esports (EMEA #3), T1 (Pacific #4). Openers: 100 Thieves vs. T1 and JD Gaming vs. FUT.
Group B: Global Esports (Pacific #1), LOUD (Americas #2), EDward Gaming (China #3), Team Vitality (EMEA #4). Openers: Global Esports vs. Vitality and LOUD vs. EDG.
Group C: TYLOO (China #1), Team Liquid (EMEA #2), Paper Rex (Pacific #3), G2 Esports (Americas #4). Openers: TYLOO vs. G2 and Liquid vs. Paper Rex.
Group D: Karmine Corp (EMEA #1), Nongshim RedForce (Pacific #2), NRG (Americas #3), Xi Lai Gaming (China #4). Openers: Karmine Corp vs. Xi Lai and Nongshim vs. NRG.
Group D is the one to watch
On paper Group D contains three teams that would be favourites in any other group. Karmine Corp arrive as EMEA champions after a redemption run through Stage 2. Nongshim RedForce were the class of Pacific for most of the split before a reverse sweep by Global Esports in the Busan final. NRG were the Americas number-one seed until 100 Thieves swept them in the upper final and LOUD edged them 3-2 in the lower final. Two of those three will not reach playoffs, and Xi Lai Gaming, China’s fourth seed, are the obvious candidate to be squeezed out first.
The Nongshim vs. NRG opener is the pick of the first round. Both sides come in with something to prove after losing finals they were expected to win, and a 0-1 start in this group means playing the elimination match with no margin for error.
G2 vs. Paper Rex, again
Group C gives us the international rivalry that refuses to die. G2 and Paper Rex have crossed paths at nearly every global event of the past two years, and while their opener is TYLOO vs. G2 and Liquid vs. Paper Rex, the bracket makes a G2-PRX meeting in the winners’ or elimination match highly likely. Team Liquid, meanwhile, have a history of exiting Champions in the group stage, and drawing the Chinese number one plus two of the most explosive teams in the world will do nothing to calm their fans.
Where the value sits
Bookmakers are yet to post full group markets, but the opening lines will follow fast. The obvious short prices will be 100 Thieves and Karmine Corp, and both have real questions: 100 Thieves needed five maps to beat a LOUD side that only made Champions through the lower bracket, and Karmine Corp are in the toughest group. Global Esports, fresh off their first VCT title, and LOUD, riding a genuine miracle run, look like the two most interesting outsiders to make playoffs. If you are planning to back an early-round upset, it is worth checking the welcome bonus terms at your book first, since many sign-up offers exclude esports markets or cap the odds.
Dates and venues
Champions Shanghai starts on September 23. The group stage and playoffs will be played at the Jing’an Sports Center, and finals weekend moves to the Mercedes-Benz Arena, the same venue that hosted Masters Shanghai in 2024. The event runs through October 18, with exact match times still to be announced. Qualification this year gave the top two Stage 2 teams in each region a direct slot, with the remaining two places per region decided on Championship Points.
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