The field is set and the bracket is drawn. Following the conclusion of VCT Americas Stage 1 and the on-stage draw show held in Los Angeles, VALORANT Masters London has its opening matchups. The second international of the 2026 season runs June 6 to 21 at the Copper Box Arena in London, marking VALORANT’s first-ever international event in the United Kingdom. Twelve teams from across all four regions will compete. Four first seeds go straight to the Playoffs bracket, while eight second and third seeds meet first in the Swiss Stage.
Round 1 Matchups
The draw produced four opening series, three of which are first-ever meetings between the sides involved:
Team Vitality vs. Dragon Ranger Gaming: EMEA’s second seed against China’s third seed. Vitality were finalists at EMEA Stage 1, falling to Team Heretics in a five-map grand final. DRG are making their first international in 2026 after a group stage exit at Champions 2025. They will appear at Masters London after a lower bracket run in China Stage 1 secured their qualification.
FULL SENSE vs. FUT Esports: Pacific’s third seed against EMEA’s third seed. FULL SENSE are one of the tournament’s biggest stories especially with their star duelist Primmie. The organization make their first-ever international appearance at Masters London after defeating Paper Rex in the Pacific Stage 1 upper bracket final but failing to close out the grand final. FUT Esports return to international competition after an almost complete roster rebuild ahead of Stage 1 having qualified from EMEA after beating Eternal Fire but falling to Vitality and Team Heretics.
LEVIATÃN vs. Global Esports: Americas’ second seed against Pacific’s second seed. LEVIATÃN after their rebuild around young talent arrive fresh off a grand final appearance at Americas Stage 1, where they pushed G2 to five maps before falling 3-2. For Global Esports, this is a significant milestone: the Indian organisation is making their own international debut after a first time appearance in the Pacific playoffs, and a meeting with LEVIATÃN is one of the more intriguing matchups of Round 1.
Xi Lai Gaming vs. NRG: China’s second seed against Americas’ third seed. XLG were Stage 1 runners-up in China, losing the grand final to EDG but continuing to maintain their international qualification consistency. NRG arrive as the reigning world champions, heading into the Swiss Stage after a third-place finish at Americas Stage 1. This is the only Round 1 matchup between teams with existing international experience against each other (NRG beat XLG 2-0 at Masters Santiago.)
ICYMI: Here’s the full draw show for #VALORANTMasters London! pic.twitter.com/gdEGGFVZR7
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) May 25, 2026
VCT Masters London Format
The Swiss Stage runs between June 6-10, with all matches played as best-of-three series. Eight teams are split into two pools with the second seeds in Pool A and third seeds in Pool B. These are drawn against each other in Round 1 with safeguards in place to prevent regional matchups. Intra-regional games become permitted from Round 2 onward. The top four teams with two wins advance to Playoffs while the bottom four with two losses are eliminated.
The four regional first seeds skip the Swiss Stage entirely and enter directly into the upper bracket of the Playoffs double-elimination bracket, where they get to pick their own opponents from the teams that survive the Swiss Stage, similar to Masters Santiago.
First Seeds
The four teams with a direct Playoffs bye are the most decorated in the field:
G2 Esports (Americas #1) won their fourth Americas regional title at Stage 1, defeating LEVIATÃN 3-2 in the grand final after a full lower bracket run. The international trophy remains the one piece missing from their cabinet after consecutive regional dominance through 2025 and into 2026.
EDward Gaming (China #1) claimed the China Stage 1 title with a 3-2 grand final win over XLG, arriving in London after a difficult stretch internationally since their 2024 Champions win. New coach Autumn who won Masters Bangkok with T1 last year has been working to rebuild the team’s structure, and a deep London run would be validation of that process.
Team Heretics (EMEA #1) completed a full lower bracket run to win VCT EMEA Stage 1, defeating Team Vitality 3-2 in the grand final in what was one of the best regional finals of the year. For a roster that had come close to regional titles before, the win was significant, and after missing out on two trophies in the past at Masters Shanghai and Champions Seoul to Gen G. and EDG, the team is on the hunt.
Paper Rex (Pacific #1) swept their way to yet another Pacific trophy, winning VCT Pacific Stage 1 and heading to London after an insane lower bracket run as one of the most experienced rosters in the field. PRX were runners-up at Masters Santiago and will be looking to go one better on the international stage.
VALORANT Masters London Awaits
With three of the four Round 1 matchups being first-ever meetings between the teams involved, the Swiss Stage is genuinely hard to call. The teams arriving through the Playoffs byes each carry weight, with G2’s regional dominance, EDG’s resurgence, Heretics’ momentum, and PRX’s consistency, lying in wait for those who make it through the group stage. The unpredictability of first-time matchups, combined with debutants like FULL SENSE and Global Esports who no opponent has experience with at the international level, makes this group stage one of the more wide-open in recent memory. Masters London gets underway June 6 at the Copper Box Arena.
