Which EWC VALORANT Teams Weren’t at Masters Toronto?

With only days until the inaugural EWC VALORANT event, many viewers will be well aware of the current narratives of many attendees, given their recent showings at Masters Toronto. But a good chunk of sides present at the Esports World Cup had only just earned their spots through regional tournament qualifiers and will head to Riyadh fully rested following the break since Stage 1.

NRG

The turbulence surrounding NRG this season seems to have finally come to an end. Roster changes made across the year, most recently induced by the retirement of in-game leader Pujan “FNS” Mehta, finally saw the side put on a decent tournament run — making their way through the Americas’ EWC qualifier and booking their spot via a 3-1 victory against 100 Thieves.

EDward Gaming

EDG still enter tournaments as a massive name given their VALORANT Champions win less than a year ago. While they’ve not found the same success so far in 2025, most notably collapsing in Stage 1 amidst the infamous benching of Hsieh “S1Mon” Meng-hsun, they’re certainly a side with the talent to turn it around and could be a dark horse to take a large chunk of the EWC’s significant prize pool.

BBL Esports

BBL has been a solid side in EMEA, only failing to qualify for a global event in 2025 as a result of the timely form of other sides in their region. Their EMEA Stage 1 fourth-place finish saw them only a single map away from making it to Masters Toronto when they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Team Liquid, but a rematch victory against the same opponents saw them come out on top in EMEA’s EWC qualifiers and now they’ll go into the tournament with fresh momentum.

DRX

Korean side DRX was a surprise omission from Masters Toronto. Their Pacific Kickoff win was followed up by a runners-up medal at Masters Bangkok, however their untimely dip in form, coupled with the rise of sides like RRQ, PRX, and BOOM Esports, saw them exit Stage 1 early.

Their Asian Champions League win and subsequent qualification to the Esports World Cup indicate that the side is back to elite form, and they should be a force in Riyadh.

100 Thieves

100 Thieves is another side — like their Americas counterparts NRG — who have had a mostly forgettable season so far in 2025. Their poor Kickoff and Stage 1 runs failed to gain them a spot at either global event this season, but a tense lower bracket series win against the recently struggling MIBR booked them a spot at the Esports World Cup. They’ve now got the opportunity to kickstart their season and take home a massive chunk of the tournament’s enormous prize pool if they can put in a decent showing.

Titan Esports Club

Yet again, the lower-seeded Chinese sides will go to the EWC as underdogs. Even after Wolves’ fairytale showing at Masters Toronto, few will expect a similar Cinderella run from Titan. Their VCT China finishes haven’t inspired much confidence, though a run in the China Evolution Series Act 2 — the tournament that acted as a qualifier — saw them unexpectedly emerge in the top two.

Their qualification for the Esports World Cup was confirmed after their top-two finish, only losing to VALORANT Champions holders EDG.

Karmine Corp

While their sights will be set on reaching VALORANT Champions in the organisation’s home town of Paris, qualification to EWC as the side’s first big event of the year is a good start for Karmine Corp.

Their Kickoff and Stage 1 runs were both largely forgettable and there was little sign that the side could mount any meaningful tournament run this year. However, their win over Team Liquid to secure their EWC spot finally showed a spark that could ignite a more exciting back half of their 2025 season.