A theft attempt and a tough loss make Paper Rex’s EWC 2026 start dramatic

It feels like nothing has gone right for Paper Rex since that VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters London 2026 final loss to Leviatán. Between tough defeats and a theft attempt, luck does not seem to be on their side.

Still, it’s Paper Rex, one of the best teams in the world, and maybe this unlucky run will end soon. Let’s break down what happened to them at the start of EWC - Esports World Cup 2026 and what might come next.

A theft attempt was the last thing anyone expected

At big international events, security should always be a priority: there are many people around and lots of valuable items that could end up in the wrong hands. Paper Rex's coach Ashton "Wendler" Wendler hasn’t had the best time at the tournament. According to wendler, someone broke into the coach room and attempted to steal his belongings.

Fortunately nothing of high monetary value was taken, but items his girlfriend bought him were lost. Money isn’t always the point, losing souvenirs and memories is painful, and incidents like this should not happen at any prestigious event.

A though loss against NRG sends Paper Rex to the lower bracket - will they manage to survive?

NRG are a team that should never be underestimated, even if they could not replicate last year’s VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Valorant Champions success. With Sam "s0m" Oh gone and Georgio "Keiko" Sanassy in, they still turn up on the international stage and remain a big threat in VALORANT.

Paper Rex started the series strong with a solid win on Fracture, but nothing went their way after the first map. NRG took complete control on Lotus, smashing their opponents 13-5, then closed out the series on Breeze with a convincing 13-10.

EWC - Esports World Cup 2026

Paper Rex

1

X

2

NRG

Group B - Opening Match, Best of 3 - July 2, 2026 - 4:00PM

13

Fracture

9

5

Lotus

13

10

Breeze

13

Paper Rex

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

d4v41

1.07

227

50/41/15

+9

1.22

75.6%

153.6

30%

55%

6

5

something

1.03

199

47/41/14

+6

1.15

69.0%

133.6

36%

69%

11

5

invy

0.77

160

37/42/12

-5

0.88

69.7%

108.0

27%

29%

2

5

f0rsakeN

0.75

154

37/46/15

-9

0.80

70.8%

107.7

26%

24%

4

13

Jinggg

0.71

160

33/49/16

-16

0.67

67.1%

108.2

19%

33%

4

8

NRG

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

brawk

1.18

213

46/42/31

+4

1.10

79.3%

140.9

20%

75%

6

2

Keiko

1.13

220

54/40/9

+14

1.35

76.8%

142.3

28%

62%

13

8

Ethan

1.06

202

42/41/29

+1

1.02

71.0%

133.5

26%

20%

1

4

skuba

0.90

178

41/40/12

+1

1.03

72.0%

121.0

21%

67%

4

2

mada

0.83

163

36/41/17

-5

0.88

69.8%

103.4

30%

52%

12

11

Paper Rex’s EWC run just became harder than it should have, because they now must beat NRG, a task that should be manageable based on recent form, and then face the loser of Vitality versus NRG. Both those teams are rock solid and could end the Pacific side’s hopes as Paper Rex try to break their international curse.

For all things VCT-related, make sure to stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG as we continue to update you with the freshest game and esports news.

Featured Image Source: Riot Games.