VCT 2026 Kickoff: Full Results, Standings, and Key Storylines Heading into Finals Week

The VCT 2026 Kickoff tournaments across Americas, Pacific, and EMEA are entering their final days, and the standings are already shaking up expectations for Masters Santiago. Here’s every result that matters, every upset that stung, and every team you should be watching.

The Kickoff stage is the first real test of the competitive year — teams have had the off-season to rebuild rosters, adjust to Patch 12.02’s agent changes, and figure out if their new signings actually mesh. For anyone trying to climb the Valorant ranked ladder, watching how pros adapt to the current meta is genuinely useful. And this Kickoff has delivered some storylines that nobody predicted.

Let’s break down each region.

VCT Americas Kickoff: MIBR and FURIA Lead the Pack

The Americas bracket wraps up on February 15, and the Upper Bracket Final features a matchup that would have sounded unlikely a year ago: MIBR versus FURIA. Both Brazilian rosters have looked crisp throughout the tournament, capitalizing on slower starts from North American powerhouses.

100 Thieves and Cloud9 are fighting for survival in the Lower Bracket Quarterfinals on February 13, with G2 Esports waiting in the Mid Bracket Final on February 14. NRG also enters the Lower Bracket Semifinals on February 14 after a rougher group stage than expected.^[1]

The top three finishers from Americas earn spots at Masters Santiago, which means there’s a real scenario where two Brazilian teams represent the region. That would be a first in VCT history. On the flip side, if Cloud9 loses to 100T tomorrow, they’re out entirely — and that roster cost serious money to assemble.

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VCT Pacific Kickoff: Nongshim RedForce Undefeated, Paper Rex in Danger

The Pacific region has its own drama. Nongshim RedForce entered Finals Week with a perfect record, and their February 14 match against Rex Regum Qeon in the Upper Bracket Final will determine who gets the No. 1 seed for Masters Santiago.

T1 rallied from a map down to beat Paper Rex 2-1 in Week 3, sending PRX to the Lower Bracket and securing T1’s spot in the Mid Bracket Final against DetonatioN FocusMe. That T1 comeback was built on a mid-match strategy pivot — after losing the first map, they shifted to a double-controller composition that suffocated PRX’s aggressive early-round plays.^[2]

DRX is the lower bracket’s most dangerous team. They took out ZETA DIVISION 2-1 and then swept Full Sense 2-0, showing the kind of clutch form that carried them to Champions in 2022. If DRX runs through the lower bracket and qualifies for Masters, it’d be one of their best Cinderella runs since that legendary year. But they face the loser of PRX versus the lower bracket opponent on February 13 first — and Paper Rex when cornered is a different animal.

VCT EMEA Kickoff: Europe Plays Catch-Up

EMEA results have been tighter and harder to predict. The region sends three teams to Masters Santiago, and the bracket stages are progressing through upper and lower rounds with multiple elimination pools still alive.

What’s notable about the EMEA Kickoff is how Patch 12.02’s changes to Harbor and Reyna have shifted agent pickrates in competitive play. Harbor’s wall adjustments made him more viable on maps with long sightlines, and several EMEA teams have built entire defensive setups around his cascading wall. If you’re wondering whether the best Valorant agents have changed this season, the answer from the pro scene is a definitive yes.

Reyna, meanwhile, saw her dismiss duration reduced from 2s to 1.5s, which has pushed Duelist players toward Neon and Jett in the current meta. The shift is most visible in EMEA, where aggro-Duelist playstyles dominate and Reyna’s nerfs hit hardest.

What Qualifies Teams for Masters Santiago

Each region sends its top three finishers to Masters Santiago, the first international LAN of VCT 2026. Championship points are awarded to the top four teams per region, which feed into the circuit rankings that determine who qualifies for Champions later in the year.

The format changed slightly from last year: the Kickoff now uses a double-elimination bracket throughout, removing the group stage that previously seeded teams. That means every match matters from round one — there’s no “dead rubber” group stage game where teams can experiment. The pressure has been visible in how cautiously teams are approaching map vetoes.

Night Market Is Live — One More Reason to Play

On the non-competitive side, the Valorant Night Market is running from February 5 through March 2, offering randomized discounted skins. It’s the first Night Market of 2026, and it coincides with the Lunar Revel event that Riot launched on February 4 with a new themed cinematic.

Here’s what’s confirmed across all three regions: the battles for Masters Santiago come down to this week. MIBR, FURIA, Nongshim RedForce, and DRX are the teams with the clearest paths. What’s still up in the air: whether NA powerhouses C9 and NRG can survive elimination, and whether any EMEA dark horse can break through. Tune into vlr.gg or the official VCT broadcasts to catch the finals.

References

1. [1] "VCT 2026 Americas Kickoff". liquipedia.net. Retrieved February 12, 2026
2. [2] "VCT Pacific Kickoff Week 3 Recap". invenglobal.com. Retrieved February 12, 2026