Best Valorant Teams in 2026
Professional Valorant is getting interesting in 2026. We’re seeing new competition with fresh blood, which makes it more exciting than ever. With VCT Masters Santiago and Kickoffs wrapped up, we have a good idea of who the strongest teams currently are. Here is our list of the best Valorant teams in 2026.
Disclaimer: This article is based only on the 2026 season and was written following the conclusion of VCT Masters Santiago.
| Team | Roster | Region |
|---|---|---|
| #1 Nongshim RedForce | 🇰🇷 Jung “Xross” Hwan 🇰🇷 Lee “Dambi” Hyuk-kyu 🇰🇷 Kim “Francis” Mu-bin 🇰🇷 Park “Ivy” Sung-hyeon 🇰🇷 Goo “Rb” Sang-min | Pacific |
| #2 Paper Rex | 🇲🇾 Khalish “d4v41” Rusyaidee 🇮🇩 Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto 🇷🇺 Ilia “something” Petrov 🇸🇬 Wang “Jinggg” Jing Jie 🇵🇭 Adrian “invy” Reyes | Pacific |
| #3 G2 Esports | 🇺🇸 Nathan “leaf” Orf 🇺🇸 Jacob “valyn” Batio 🇺🇸 Alexander “jawgemo” Mor 🇺🇸 Andrej “babybay” Francisty 🇺🇸 Trent “trent” Cairns | Americas |
| #4 NRG Esports | 🇺🇸 Brock “brawk” Somerhalder 🇨🇦 Adam “mada” Pampuch 🇺🇸 Ethan “Ethan” Arnold 🇺🇸 Logan “skuba” Jenkins 🇬🇧 Georgio “keiko” Sanassy | Americas |
| #5 T1 | 🇰🇷 Ham “iZu” Woo-Joo 🇰🇷 Kim “stax” Gu-taek 🇰🇷 Kim “Meteor” Tae-oh 🇰🇷 Yu “BuZz” Byung-chul 🇰🇷 Byeon “Munchkin” Sang-beom 🇰🇷 Lee “carpe” Jae-hyeok | Pacific |
| #6 Fnatic | 🇹🇷 Emir “Alfajer” Beder
🇵🇱 Kajetan “kaajak” Haremski 🇺🇸 Austin “crashies” Roberts 🇫🇷 Sylvain “Veqaj” Pattyn 🇬🇧 Jake “Boaster” Howlett | EMEA |
| #7 BBL Esports | 🇹🇷 Eren “Rosé” Erzan 🇹🇷 Umut “lovers rock” Pekdoğan 🇹🇷 Utku “Loita” Kart 🇹🇷 Yusuf “Lar0k” Kanber 🇹🇷 Ali “Crewen” Sargin 🇹🇷 Burak “LêwN” Alkan | EMEA |
| #8 MIBR | 🇺🇸 Andrew “Verno” Maust 🇨🇱 Roberto “Mazino” Rivas 🇧🇷 Erick “aspas” Santos 🇺🇸 Ian “tex” Botsch 🇺🇸 Zachary “zekken” Patrone | Americas |
| #9 Gentle M8s | 🇵🇭 Conner “GLYPH” Garcia 🇨🇿 Martin “marteen” Pátek 🇵🇱 Patryk “starxo” Kopczyński 🇮🇹 Taranvir “bipo” Singh 🇨🇿 Patrik “Minny” Hušek | EMEA |
| #10 Team Vitality | 🇫🇮 Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev
🇷🇺 Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov 🇫🇮 Elias “Jamppi” Olkkonen 🇲🇩 Ștefan “Sayonara” Mîtcu 🇵🇱 Dawid “PROFEK” Święć | EMEA |
#10 Team Vitality
Image via Michał Konkol/Riot Games
Team Vitality is EMEA’s newest superteam, featuring the recent addition of Valorant GOAT Chronicle. The international squad didn’t have the strongest start to the year, finishing 5th in the EMEA Kickoff, but they have a valid excuse. Vitality were forced to field a stand-in, as their young prodigy Sayonara hadn’t met the minimum age requirement to play.
Now, Sayonara has turned 18, meaning he’s good to go. This means Vitality will enter the rest of the year in full force. This team has all the tools to succeed and now they just need to execute it.
#9 Gentle M8s
Image via Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
Gentle M8s took a huge gamble with their 2026 roster, filling it up with four players who were competing in the Challengers league last year. So far, it has paid off.
The team qualified for VCT Masters Santiago and finished within the top eight. But, if we’re being honest, most of the credit goes to their duelist marteen. He broke VCT record after VCT record and was the highest-rated player in both Santiago and EMEA Kickoff.
Despite marteen looking like the best player in the world, the team only finished 7th – 8th in their first international tournament. The rest of the roster will need to step up for the remainder of the year.
#8 MIBR
Image via Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
If Team Vitality is EMEA’s superteam, MIBR is the world’s superteam. The Brazilian org made huge roster moves, bringing in zekken, tex, and Mazino to form one of the scariest lineups on paper.
However, MIBR completely dropped the ball. They had three chances to qualify for Santiago, and managed to lose three Bo5s in a row. Still, they made huge changes to their roster, so these stumbles can happen. They’ll need some time to gel but we suspect that they could have a strong rest of 2026.
#7 BBL Esports
Image via Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
If you like a good underdog story, we recommend checking out BBL Esports. They were playing in EMEA Ascension last year and are already making names for themselves internationally.
They dominated the EMEA Kickoff and made a respectable run at Santiago, finishing in the top six. Lar0k and lovers rock are showing that they’re among the best aimers in the world.
They may have aim, but one thing they lack is experience. It’s still too early for them to become title contenders just yet, so they’re going to need more stage time.
#6 Fnatic
Image via Michał Konkol/Riot Games
Fnatic got one of the shorter ends of the stick in the 2025 roster shuffle when they lost Chronicle. However, that doesn’t mean the rest of the squad are slouches.
Fnatic barely missed out on Santiago qualification after getting reverse swept by Gentle M8s. Still, this team has a trend of starting slow and ramping up as the year goes on.
With such an experienced in-game leader in Boaster and a squad full of capable aimers, Fnatic look to work on their mistakes and come into the rest of the year fresh.
#5 T1
Image via Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
South Korean powerhouse T1 were able to get their hands on Munchkin in the off-season. On paper, they have one of the strongest squads in Asia.
Unfortunately, this new addition hasn’t translated to international success just yet. T1 bombed out of Santiago in groups, losing to G2, a team that ended up making a deep run. It will be intriguing to see how they fare in the rest of the year’s schedule, though clearly major improvements will be necessary to challenge for the major prizes- a fact not lost on those keeping a close eye on top Valorant betting sites.
#4 NRG Esports
Image via Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
The reigning VCT Champions saw s0m leave the team and recruited Keiko – a capable replacement. Though they didn’t have the most convincing run in VCT Americas, they turned up on the international stage.
NRG finished third at VCT Masters Santiago, looking rock solid. However, when it mattered most, they couldn’t perform in their final two days and exited the tournament trophyless. Still, they’re undoubtedly a title contender and a massive threat internationally, which is why we have them at #4.
#3 G2 Esports
Image via Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
G2 are the “fathers” of the Americas region. When it comes to regional tournaments, there’s no one who can stop them. However, international tournaments are a little bit of a different story.
In VCT Masters Santiago, they only lost to the two teams that ended up making it to the grand final. If some rounds had gone their way, we feel like G2 would have been playing in the final instead.
Still, there’s no doubt G2 is one of the best Valorant teams in the world. If they can perform internationally like they do at home, this team is due for a big win in the near future.
#2 Paper Rex
Image via Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
Paper Rex is truly one of the most unique teams in Valorant. Sometimes they look like a trainwreck, and other times, they look unstoppable.
f0rsaken and company were one loss away from being eliminated from the Pacific Kickoff. But instead, they found themselves in the grand final of Santiago.
However, it’s no secret Paper Rex can be very inconsistent at times. If they clean up their gameplay and stop throwing unlosable rounds, they easily have the potential to be the best team in the world.
#1 Nongshim RedForce
Image via Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
Seeing Nongshim RedForce as the best team in the world in 2026 was on nobody’s bingo card. This team went from nobodies to undisputed champions in less than six months.
Nongshim have not lost a single series in 2026. They finished first place in VCT Pacific and made their international debut at Santiago.
Even though Santiago was their first international event, they were playing with zero pressure. They destroyed Paper Rex, G2, and NRG, dropping only a single map across their entire run at VCT Masters Santiago 2026. If they aren’t the best team in the world, who is?
Owen Harsono
Owen lives for competition, spending most of his gaming hours on Dota 2, CS2, and Valorant. A regular on the SEA Dota 2 leaderboards, he combines his first-hand experience with a deep passion for esports journalism, following the professional scenes of all three esports betting titles religiously. When he’s not writing, he’s most probably betting on esports and watching the latest events.
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