VCT EMEA 2026 Stage 1 playoffs preview and predictions: The road to Masters London begins

Only hours remain until the VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - EMEA Stage 1 playoffs kick off. The bracket will determine the best teams in the region, and the top three finishers will earn their spots at Masters London. Here’s a breakdown of the bracket and teams to keep in mind for the two coming weeks of battle.

Format and bracket

The playoffs run from May 7 to May 17 in the usual double-elimination format, where two losses, sometimes even one, can mean an early exit. All matches are best-of-three, except for the Lower Final and Grand Final, which are best-of-five.

Because Fnatic and FUT Esports finished as group winners, they’re seeded directly into the Upper Semifinals. This means both teams need just one match win to secure a ticket to Masters London.

On the other side, BBL Esports and Gentle Mates finished at the bottom of their groups and will start in the lower bracket. They’ll be fighting for survival from the very first round.

Teams to watch

While VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - EMEA Kickoff was a tournament dominated by rookies, Stage 1 has told a very different story. The top two teams from Kickoff, BBL and Gentle Mates, now hold the lowest seeds in the Stage 1 Playoffs, while squads like FUT and Fnatic have bounced back in a big way. Here are the teams to keep a close eye on over the next two weeks.

Fnatic

At Kickoff, Fnatic came very close to securing a spot at VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters Santiago 2026 but ultimately didn’t make the trip. In Stage 1, they’ve looked like their old selves again, dominating Group Omega with a perfect 5–0 record. That achievement is even more impressive considering they’ve been playing with two stand-ins. Due to health issues, Sylvain "Veqaj" Pattyn will miss the playoffs, with Clement "CyvOph" Millard stepping in. If Fnatic maintain this form, they’re strong favorites to make it to London.

Fut esports

FUT had a rough Kickoff, finishing 11th–12th. But in Stage 1, they’ve completely turned things around, topping Group Alpha with a 4–1 record. The additions of Efe "s0pp" Tur and Volkan "sociablEE" Yönal, along with new head coach Berke "Vlad" Kantürk, appear to have revitalized the roster. The Turkish squad has looked dominant so far and is definitely a team to watch in the playoffs.

Eternal Fire

Another team with a fresh look in Stage 1 is Eternal Fire, now fielding the former ULF Esports roster. While the lineup itself hasn’t changed much, their performance certainly has. With only one loss in the group stage, Eternal Fire secured the second seed in Group Omega and looked incredibly strong on the server. Now comes the real test, can they go all the way to London?

Team Vitality

Team Vitality has struggled so far in 2026. With a lot of expectations, some might say they have underperformed so far both in Kickoff as well as Stage 1. They only made the playoffs thanks to a last-minute win over Pacific, combined with BBL’s loss to Fnatic. Almost missing out on playoffs could serve as a much-needed wake-up call for the squad and they will probably give it their all to make it to their first international event in a year.

Predictions

As teams begin to find their identity, the EMEA standings have been shaken up in Stage 1. That makes predicting the top three heading to Masters London even tougher. Seeding gives some teams an advantage, but this race is still wide open.

Our predicted top three headed to Masters London: Fnatic, FUT Esports, and Team Liquid.

With that said, anything can happen on the server and nothing is guaranteed.

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: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games.