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Asuna went off with 50 kills and a 1.56 rating as 100 Thieves swept MIBR, while NRG sent KRÜ and ex-LOUD stars saadhak and Less packing. One Americas seat at Masters London is still up for grabs, and it goes to the winner of NRG vs 100T in the lower semifinal.
The VCT Americas Stage 1 2026 playoffs keep delivering 🔥. Three rounds in, eight teams became four, and now NRG and 100 Thieves are one series away from punching the last Americas ticket to Masters London.
Two groups fed the playoff bracket, with group winners earning a first-round bye.
Group Alpha: MIBR (1st), G2 Esports (2nd), LEVIATÁN (3rd), LOUD (4th). Group Omega: KRÜ Esports (1st), FURIA (2nd), 100 Thieves (3rd), NRG (4th).
MIBR and KRÜ entered directly in the upper semifinals, while the rest battled in Round 1. Cloud9, ENVY, Sentinels, and Evil Geniuses were eliminated during the group stage.
The format is double elimination. Every match is a best-of-3 except the Lower Bracket Final and the Grand Final, which are best-of-5.
Upper Bracket:
Lower Bracket:
Grand Final: May 24 at Riot Games Arena, Los Angeles.
Source: Riot Games / valorantesports.com
G2 opened the playoffs with zero drama: Pearl 13-4, Lotus 13-7. valyn was the series MVP, posting a 1.39 match rating with 36 kills and 244 ACS while controlling the pace through both calling and fragging. leaf added a crucial 1v3 clutch on Pearl to close the map early. 💪
This is now five consecutive series wins for G2 against 100 Thieves. 100T dropped to the lower bracket, where they'd need to string back-to-back wins to stay in contention.
FURIA took Breeze 13-8 on the back of artzin's early KAY/O performance, but the series belonged to kiNgg. The LEVIATÁN IGL closed with a 1.59 match rating, 54 kills, 83% KAST, and a perfect 6/0 first-kill/first-death ratio across the series. 🎯
LEVIATÁN swept the final two maps: Split 13-5, then Pearl 13-1, a scoreline that made the result feel like a formality. FURIA's nerve posted a 1/18/4 line on Viper in Split, and the series momentum never shifted back. LEVIATÁN advanced to face MIBR in the upper semifinals.
NRG sent KRÜ Esports home and eliminated one of the most consistent teams in the bracket. Breeze 13-8, Haven 13-4, no dropped maps. The result also ends the international run of saadhak and Less, two ex-LOUD stars who couldn't replicate their previous team's run under a new banner.
KRÜ had looked untouchable all group stage, but NRG found their range on both maps and never let the series get close. NRG advance to the lower semifinal.
The biggest result of the lower bracket: 100T knocked out MIBR, the pre-tournament favorites, in two straight maps, Fracture 13-11, Breeze 13-7. Asuna put the team on his back, posting 50 kills across the series with a 1.56 rating, the best individual performance on the scoreboard.
The win sends MIBR home early and shatters the narrative built on their dominant group stage. 100T are one series away from Masters London.
The lower semifinal is a proper NA clash. NRG leads the all-time head-to-head 5-3 since the partnership era, but a one-series elimination doesn't care about history.
The winner punches the last Americas ticket to VCT Masters London 2026. The loser goes home. This is the match every competitive Valorant player has been watching for.
Want to compete in the same game these teams grind? Join the Valorant ladders on Amber.gg and test your ranking while the pros battle for London.
NRG swept KRÜ without dropping a map. Their map pool has looked deep and consistent, and leading the head-to-head 5-3 gives them confidence going in.
100 Thieves are the team in form. Asuna's takeover against MIBR is the kind of performance that shifts a squad's trajectory. Two lower-bracket series, two 2-0 results from the brink.
G2 Esports have reached the upper final. Regardless of the result there, they're guaranteed a top-3 finish and a London spot. A Grand Final appearance earns them the double map ban advantage.
LEVIATÁN matched G2's upper bracket run and will face them in the upper final. kiNgg's IGL form has been one of the tournament's standout individual stories.
The Cloud9 rebuild. Notexxd and v1c were the headlining additions this split, but Cloud9 missed the playoff cut entirely. Read the full story on the Cloud9 roster shake-up if you missed what went wrong.
saadhak and Less eliminated. Two of LOUD's former stars chose to chase a new chapter with KRÜ, but their international run ends here in the lower bracket. The pANcada departure from LOUD covers how the LOUD dynasty split apart.
Asuna, franchise player. 100T have been building around him for years. A 50-kill, 1.56-rating performance against the tournament favorites is the statement this team needed.
Top 3 from Stage 1 qualify for Masters London. G2 Esports and LEVIATÁN have both secured their spots through the upper bracket, regardless of their upcoming final. The third Americas seat goes to the winner of NRG vs 100 Thieves.
The 1st-place team earns a direct playoff seed, while 2nd and 3rd enter the Swiss Stage. Masters London runs June 6-21 with a $1M prize pool and 12 teams from all 4 regions. Check VCT Masters London 2026: Who Has Qualified So Far? for the full global picture. And for the patch context shaping the current meta, Valorant Patch 12.09 is worth a read.
Three teams from the Americas will join the field in London. Two are confirmed. The third is decided next.
The VCT Americas Stage 1 playoffs run through May 24 at Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles.
The Stage 1 season capped off with a spectacular Grand Final: G2 Esports won the championship over LEVIATÁN 3-2 in one of the most remarkable comebacks in Americas Valorant history.
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