Shock and awe in the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) 2026 Americas region, as an underdog came out on top, followed by two favorites. After weeks of top-tier action, the three teams that will represent the Americas region at VCT 2026 Masters Santiago have been determined. Let's take a look.

The triple-elimination bracket format at VCT 2026 Americas Kickoff delivered action that kept us on the edge of our collective seats, with each result being high-impact.

While the top two teams from the region did make it through (unlike what happened at VCT 2026 EMEA Kickoff), it was a close call, and an underdog emerged victorious.

In the first round of the Upper Bracket, FURIA managed to reverse-sweep KRÜ Esports and moved on to beat Sentinels 2-0. FURIA then took out the favorites, G2 Esports, in a 2-1 slugfest, before defeating MIBR in the Upper Bracket Final to become the champions of VCT 2026 EMEA Kickoff.

In the Middle Bracket Final, G2 Esports demolished MIBR 3-0 to claim a spot at Masters Santiago. We felt bad for MIBR, as NRG took them out 3-2 in the worst way possible, a reverse-sweep in a best-of-five, to claim the third and final spot at Masters Santiago.

Check out the complete and final standings for the VCT 2026 Americas Kickoff event below, alongside the points earned by each team.

Stay tuned to Esports Central as we’ll bring you all the results from the biggest VALORANT events, including both Masters and the Champions tournaments.

Header image via Riot Games.