Top 3 most disappointing teams of Stage 1: Which squads are falling off?

With Stage 1 over across the VCT, the three best teams from each region are headed to VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters London 2026. So far this season, there have been plenty of upsets, and several fan-favorite teams, including previous champions, are missing from the list of teams attending London. Let’s take a look at the three most disappointing teams of Stage 1.

Fnatic

The giants of EMEA, Fnatic are shockingly not making an appearance at Masters London. During VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - EMEA Kickoff, Fnatic made a middle-bracket run but lost the middle final against Gentle Mates. As they continued through the lower-bracket, they got another chance to earn a spot at VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters Santiago 2026 in the lower final. Once again, Fnatic fell short and were denied a place at the global event.

VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - EMEA Stage 1 initially looked promising for Fnatic, as they made it out of the group stage with a flawless record. However, playoffs told a different story after Sylvain "Veqaj" Pattyn was moved to the inactive roster due to health issues. Clement "CyvOph" Millard stepped in on short notice, but their first match against Team Vitality turned into a rough start as Fnatic were sent to the lower bracket. There, they faced Team Heretics, and once again they couldn’t close things out. Without a single playoffs win, Fnatic were sent home without a ticket to London.

Fnatic have now missed two international events in a row, something that has never happened in the organization’s history. While they looked incredibly strong during the group stage, the sudden roster move proved too much to overcome, and EMEA fans will have to watch Masters London without one of their favorite teams.

Going from three second-place finishes at global events in 2025 to missing two straight international events in 2026 is an incredibly disappointing outcome for the Fnatic roster.

Mibr

Another team that came into the season with massive expectations but failed to deliver is MIBR. They missed out on Masters Santiago after losing all three finals during VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Kickoff. Still, they showed plenty of promise heading into VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Stage 1. With the additions of Zachary "zekken" Patrone, Roberto "Mazino" Rivas, and Ian "tex" Botsch alongside Erick "aspas" Santos, MIBR had a roster strong enough to compete at the top of the Americas.

Like Fnatic, MIBR finished as the top seed in their group during Stage 1, giving them a favorable position heading into playoffs. However, that advantage didn’t last long, as MIBR lost their opening match to Leviatán. In the lower bracket, they faced 100 Thieves, and just like Fnatic, they were eliminated after another loss, finishing in 5th–6th place.

Having superstar players like zekken and aspas on the same roster and still failing to find success is hugely disappointing. MIBR invested heavily into rebuilding ahead of the 2026 season, yet they still seem to struggle with finding their identity against the top teams in the region. It’s also worrying to see them drift further away from championship contention as the season progresses.

By missing Masters London, MIBR now face major questions heading into Stage 2. Either the current roster finds a new spark, or roster changes could soon be on the horizon.

Nongshim Redforce

The third team on this list is Nongshim RedForce. Much like the other teams mentioned, they failed to live up to expectations during VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Pacific Stage 1. However, unlike Fnatic and MIBR, Nongshim actually had a phenomenal Kickoff run.

This NS squad won VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Pacific Kickoff without dropping a single match in the upper bracket. That victory earned them a spot at Masters Santiago, where they continued to dominate on the international stage. Throughout the event, they dropped only a single map and eventually claimed the Masters title after defeating Paper Rex 3-0 in the grand final.

After winning the previous global event, many expected NS to continue their dominance in Stage 1, but things quickly fell apart. They lost several matches during the group stage and barely scraped into the playoffs with a 2-3 record. Finishing fourth in the group meant NS started playoffs in the lower bracket, where they were immediately eliminated after losing to KIWOOM DRX.

Going from Masters champions to a first-round playoffs exit is a brutal fall for NS. Teams they comfortably defeated during Kickoff were suddenly able to outplay them in Stage 1, and now they’ll miss out on London entirely.

A lot of room for improvement

With half of the 2026 VCT season almost complete, seeing teams like Fnatic, MIBR, and Nongshim RedForce struggle this heavily is concerning. At this stage of the season, teams are expected to have built strong synergy, especially after disappointing Kickoff performances.

For Fnatic, the sudden decline is worrying considering how strong they looked throughout 2025. However, having to play with a substitute roster certainly made things more difficult. MIBR entered the year as one of the most hyped squads in the Americas, but despite their stacked lineup, they have yet to truly impress. Meanwhile, NS have gone from the best team in the world to falling behind the competition almost overnight.

Masters London will crown a new global champion while these teams are left searching for answers. If they want a shot at Champions 2026, massive improvements will be needed before Stage 2 begins.

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