Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Stage 1 is beginning to wind down across the globe, and the frontrunners from each region at this point of the year are emerging. The next stop on the 2026 international roadmap is Masters London, set to kick off on June 6^th. 

12 Teams Bound for London

Just as in the previous Masters events, each region has received 3 slots, determined by the top placements in each region’s playoffs. There are some familiar faces in attendance, others brand-new to the international stage.

New Masters, Brand New Narratives

VCT Americas:

Despite early shakeups, seems like Americas has mostly retained the status quo of its top performers. The dual gatekeepers of G2 and NRG are both headed for the second international of the year. However, the newcomer is definitely Leviatán, who have refound their footing midway through the season and even taking a series off domestic kings G2 in the Upper Bracket. Heading into London, expectations for Americas are generally the same as Santiago, with both G2 and NRG expected to make deep runs and potentially a podium finish. 

VCT EMEA:

Over in EMEA, the pecking order has clearly been shaken up. Notably, not only did none of the Santiago teams qualify, but they were in fact eliminated early in the Playoffs, with Gentle Mates making it the furthest. Three new claimants have risen as representatives for Masters London, perhaps marking EMEA as the region of continued evolution. 

VCT Pacific:

VCT Pacific has been particularly tasty this Stage 1. Not only are there fresh faces bound for London, but notably no Korean teams will be in attendance, marking a first in VCT history. Global Esports made headlines last week with their qualifying match, against Paper Rex of all teams. The former Talon roster, now FULL SENSE, return to the international stage after an impressive Stage 1 run. And then there is the APAC staple, Paper Rex, almost a fixture for deep international runs in modern VALORANT. 

VCT China:

VCT China has proven interesting this past Stage 1. While 2 out of 3 of the same teams that attended Santiago are once again in attendance in London, the order has shifted. Most notably EDG and XLG, who are the repeat contenders, blazed their way through both the Group Stage and Playoffs in sharp form.

The Final Test Before 2026 Champions

Masters London is not just the second international event of the year. For most teams, it's the final chance to test their mettle against the best teams in the world and finalize their identity ahead of Champions Shanghai later this year.

Crucially, the look of competitive VALORANT has shifted drastically in the few months since Masters Santiago. The team that was eventually crowned champion of the event, Nongshim RedForce, utilized Neon as the core engine of their strategy. 

However, teams will not have the same Neon heading into London. Patch 12.09 is already live for competitive and it is expected to carry into London. Targetting both Neon and the various shotguns, we should see a more variety in team compositions as compared to most of Stage 1 globally where Neon has dominated for the past 2 months. 

Masters London is set to kick off on June 6th at the Copper Box Arena. Of the 12 teams participating at this event, 8 of them will begin their journey in the Swiss Stage. And of those,only the top 4 teams will survive this and meet the 1st seed representatives from each region in an all-out Playoffs Double Elimination Bracket. 

Keep an eye on the Strafe news feed as we lead into Masters London. We have plenty more pieces of content coming your way so don't go too far!

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Featured Image Credit: Riot Games