VALORANT Teams For EWC 2026 Set In Stone
Taking place in Paris, France, this year, the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 mega-event features several incredible tournaments. The VALORANT tournament is one of the first to begin, and one we are exceptionally hyped for.
As we get closer and closer to the EWC 2026 (6 July to 23 August), outline the teams competing at the biggest events. In this article, we focus on VALORANT, with all participants now decided. A total of 16 teams are competing, including defending champions, Team Heretics. They are fighting for the coveted trophy and a share of the huge $2 million prize pool. That’s roughly R33 million.
Without further ado, check out the complete team list for EWC 2026 VALORANT below. We’ll start with the five direct invites, followed by 11 others who managed to qualify.
| Team | Qualification Method | Qualification Details |
| Team Heretics | EWC 2025 Champion | Automatically invited as the reigning EWC title defender. |
| Team Vitality | VCT 2026 EMEA Stage 1 (#2) | Earned a direct slot via top placement in the EMEA league. |
| G2 Esports | VCT 2026 Americas Stage 1 (#1) | Earned a direct slot via top placement in the Americas league. |
| Paper Rex | VCT 2026 Pacific Stage 1 (#1) | Earned a direct slot via top placement in the Pacific league. |
| EDward Gaming | VCT 2026 China Stage 1 (#1) | Earned a direct slot via top placement in the China league. |
Now, let’s take a look at the other 11 teams competing at the EWC 2026 VALORANT event.
| Team | Qualification Method | Qualification Details |
| Gentle Mates | EWC EMEA Qualifier (1st–2nd) | Top finisher from the Europe, Middle East, and Africa bracket. |
| Karmine Corp | EWC EMEA Qualifier (1st–2nd) | Top finisher from the Europe, Middle East, and Africa bracket. |
| BBL Esports | EWC EMEA Qualifier (3rd) | Claimed the final qualification spot for the EMEA region. |
| MIBR | EWC Americas Qualifier (1st–2nd) | Top finisher from the Americas regional bracket. |
| 100 Thieves | EWC Americas Qualifier (1st–2nd) | Top finisher from the Americas regional bracket. |
| NRG | EWC Americas Qualifier (3rd) | Claimed the final qualification spot for the Americas region. |
| Rex Regum Qeon | EWC Pacific Qualifier (1st–2nd) | Top finisher from the Asia-Pacific regional bracket. |
| Global Esports | EWC Pacific Qualifier (1st–2nd) | Top finisher from the Asia-Pacific regional bracket. |
| Nongshim RedForce | EWC Pacific Qualifier (3rd) | Claimed the final qualification spot for the Pacific region. |
| Xi Lai Gaming | EWC China Qualifier (1st) | Winner of the top seed in the China online/closed qualifier. |
| All Gamers | EWC China Qualifier (2nd) | Secured the second and final qualification spot out of China. |
Stay tuned as we’ll bring you a lot more coverage of the EWC 2026, alongside a viewer’s guide for the VALORANT tournament, results, and news!
Header image via Riot Games.
