VALORANT Masters London marks the second international battleground of 2026, bringing twelve teams to the Copper Box Arena from June 6 to 21. Unlike Santiago, every region arrives off the back of a completed Stage 1 with a new wrinkle: Patch 12.09’s Neon and shotgun nerfs potentially reshuffling the meta in real time. Here is how we see the twelve teams stacking up.
S-Tier: Tournament Favorites
Paper Rex (Pacific #1)
PRX arrive as VCT Pacific Stage 1 champions, claiming their fourth regional title with a dominant 3-0 sweep of FULL SENSE in the grand final. The storyline is crazy: they were knocked to the lower bracket by Global Esports in their opening playoff match, then went on a rampage through DRX, T1, and GE to reach the final. It is the kind of adversity that separates PRX from every other team at this event. CauseN IGLing while leading the lobby in kills, an agent pool that spans virtually every role in the game, and the institutional knowledge of nine Masters appearances between them: PRX are the team to beat.
The one question mark has always been grand finals. Santiago ended in a stomp by Nongshim. London is the chance to get their second VCT trophy.
G2 Esports (Americas #1)
G2 arrive as VCT Americas Stage 1 champions with a 3-2 grand final win over Leviatán, their fourth Americas regional title and seventh consecutive international qualification. What makes G2 genuinely dangerous in London is the combination of playoff experience and structural depth. Nathan “leaf†Orf and Trent “trent†Cairns each racked up 24 kills on Fracture in the grand final opener, while jawgemo delivered a series-clinching clutch on Split to seal the trophy.
As the only Americas seed going directly to Playoffs, they also arrive fresher than NRG and Leviatán, who must grind through the Swiss Stage first. The international trophy remains the one missing piece in a cabinet full of regional titles. London is the moment to change that.
A-Tier: Trophy Contenders
Team Vitality (EMEA #2)
Vitality are the most compelling team at this event that nobody is talking about enough. They pushed EMEA Stage 1 champions Team Heretics to a 3-2 grand final, and Get out finally operating in a post-Neon-nerf meta is potentially the most significant individual unlock at the entire tournament. His 219.7 ACS and 94 first kills across Stage 1 already told the story of a player constrained by a meta that did not suit him. With Jett and Raze fully back as primary weapons, VIT could easily be the team that steals the S-Tier conversation by Week 2.
NRG (Americas #3)
The reigning world champions nearly missed the Playoffs, then fought through the lower bracket to qualify for London. It has not been a seamless 2026, and their Santiago exit at the hands of PRX in the lower final stings. But NRG have a habit of raising their level when the stakes are highest, and a team with Champions 2025 on their resume never fully loses that edge. If they find the form that made them the best team in the world last September, they are a realistic finalist.
Team Heretics (EMEA #1)
Heretics arrive as the first-ever EMEA Stage 1 champions, entering Playoffs directly as the region’s top seed. Nothing was extraordinary across all of Stage 1, and the team’s lower bracket mentality in Stage 1 showed they can grind. The concern is that Heretics have historically had trouble closing out finals at international events relative to their ceiling as a team. London is the test of whether Stage 1 was a true elevation or a hot streak.
B-Tier: Dark Horses
EDward Gaming (China #1)
EDG return as China’s top seed, led by star player ZmjjKKwho was statistically the best player in the Chinese league across Stage 1. The 2024 Champions winners know what it takes to win at the highest level, and new coach Autumnwho won Masters Bangkok with T1 last year, has been rebuilding the team’s ideas and executions. A deep London run would signal that rebuild is working. China has historically underdelivered on international stages relative to their domestic performances. ZmjjKK is talented enough to change that narrative single-handedly.
Global Esports (Pacific #3)
GE knocked PRX to the lower bracket in the opening playoff round, finishing third after losing 3-0 to Paper Rex in the lower final. For a team at their first Masters, that run is an extraordinary proof of concept. UdoTan is the sole Korean player at the entire event, and the GE system around him has quietly become one of the Pacific’s most tactically coherent units. They are a genuine dark horse if the Swiss Stage gives them a favourable path to Playoffs.
C-Tier: Prove-It Teams
FUT Esports (EMEA #3)
FUT have the tools, but London comes with a central question: how does s0pp function without Neon as his primary agent? He led all of EMEA in first kills with 113 across Stage 1 on an exclusive Neon diet. If the pivot to Jett or Raze is clean, FUT are dangerous. If it is rough, they exit early.
Leviatán (Americas #2)
Leviatán pushed G2 to five maps in the grand final as a roster with four rookies in their first full season, which is a remarkable result. Bruno “Neon†RodrÃguez enters his first international event as an 18-year-old with incredible flexibility and fragging ability. But the step up from Americas runner-up to international contender is significant, and the Swiss Stage offers zero warm-up margin.
FULL SENSE (Pacific #2)
FULL SENSE swept DRX, T1, and GE through the upper bracket before meeting PRX in the grand final, where they ran into a team in top form. Their run was built on primmie’s mechanical brilliance and the team’s disciplined tactical execution. The unknown is whether an organization attending their first Masters (although some players have been on the international stage before) can maintain that level against teams with deep international experience.
D-Tier: Long Shots at VALORANT Masters London
Xi Lai Gaming (China #2)
Both XLG and EDG finished 11th-12th at Santiago, eliminated early from the competition. XLG have improved domestically since then, but their track record at international events gives little reason for optimism in London. They will need to prove the Santiago result was a floor, not a ceiling.
Dragon Ranger Gaming (China #3)
DRG are the least-known quantity in the entire field, qualifying through a lower bracket run in China’s Stage 1 playoffs. An upset win would be the story of the tournament. A group stage exit would surprise nobody.
PRX and G2 are the clear co-favorites, but the post-Neon-nerf meta makes this tournament more unpredictable than most. The Swiss Stage is where London’s shape will be decided.
