G2 leads the Americas quartet to VALORANT Champions

The Americas’ teams — G2 Esports, NRG, Sentinels and MIBR — are locked in, but of course, some of them have looked much better this year than the others. This preview looks at each squad’s 2025 season domestically and internationally, how they qualified for VALORANT Champions, standout players from each roster and the first matchup each team will face in Paris.

G2 Esports: the Americas standard-bearer

G2’s 2025 season was built on consistency and finishing power. They won every single VCT Americas final this year which cemented their #1 seed from the region into Champions Paris. On the international stage, G2 also posted deep Masters runs (2nd at Bangkok and 4th at Toronto) and sought to translate their domestic dominance into global success. Their style mixes proactive duelist aggression with coordinated mid-rounding and excellent post-plants/retakes; the result is a roster that rarely folds under pressure and excels at tactical control.

G2 earned their Champions spot by taking the Americas Stage 2 title in August, but were already qualified via Championship Points ahead of playoffs. Their first opponent in the group stage is Team Heretics — a matchup that will test G2’s ability to impose structure early and punish misreads.

Standout players:

G2’s entire team is absolutely insane, but in terms of raw stats, jawgemo is always up on the scoreboard. He has some of the highest first kill numbers across the global VCT leagues and his flexibility in playing a variety of duelists ensures he’s a performer on every map. Valyn, on the other hand, is not just the team’s IGL, but also ice cold in the clutch. The rest of G2 also show up when the situation calls for it: overall, this might be the most balanced team currently in terms of individual performance and stats.

NRG: A Cinderella run with three rookies

NRG’s 2025 season may not have started very well, but they ended Stage 2 with a second-place finish to qualify for Champions. The team punched through to the Americas Stage 2 grand final, and despite being 3-0’d by G2, looked incredible throughout their playoff run with wins over teams like Sentinels and C9. With three rookies coming in from NA’s tier 2 league as well as a player-turned-coach, the team managed to fit all of their pieces together and make them work well after multiple roster shuffles this year.  NRG start Champs against EDward Gaming: a cross-regional clash that will test NRG’s ability to deal with the VCT 2024 Champions.

Standout players:

NRG’s most consistent in-game force is their initiator — mainly Sova player — brawk, who has posted some of the region’s highest ACS during Stage 2 playoffs. Across multiple maps, he was the difference maker, not just in terms of kills, but also in clutches. Both mada and s0m also follow in the kills department, and similar to jawgemo, mada was racking up crucial entry kills across Stage 2.

Sentinels: Consistent performances across the year

Sentinels arrive in Paris as one of the region’s most decorated brands, and 2025 continued their trend of consistency. While they qualified for both internationals and made playoffs at every regional event, SEN haven’t won a trophy yet this year. They qualified for Champions through solid Stage 2 placements and circuit points accumulated across the season. While they couldn’t take the Stage 2 crown after NRG beat them, they are one of the most experienced teams on an international stage. Sentinels’ opening match in Paris will be against GIANTX, a classic NA vs EMEA match.

Standout players:

Zekken repeatedly produces multi-kill rounds and consiste

ntly has some of the best ACS and FKPR stats, not just in Americas, but also internationally. That said, every member of this roster has had standout maps and incredible clutches, so the question is whether they can recover their trophy-winning form ahead of Paris.

MIBR — Brazil’s dark horse at their first VALORANT Champions

MIBR’s 2025 season was marked by volatility: they could dismantle top teams on good days and struggle on others. That volatility, however, is exactly what makes them a dangerous playoff opponent — that and having arguably one of, if not the best, duelists in the world: aspas. MIBR qualified for Champions via accumulated circuit points, however, if the tiebreakers rules were the same in Americas as they were in the other three regions, they wouldn’t have even qualified at all. MIBR’s first Champions match is against Bilibili Gaming, a stern opening test that will pit MIBR against a team coming hot after a VCT China Stage 2 win.

Standout player:

MIBR’s key performer is their star duelist aspas. Maps that the team win usually have him topping the scoreboard in terms of entries, overall damage and kills, and more. The question is whether the rest of MIBR can back him up and play at his level. However, games where he doesn’t pop off are usually MIBR losses, so he has a lot of heavy lifting to do if he wants a second Champions trophy.

The VCT Americas team bring with them a blend of raw mechanical firepower and worrying strategical depths, especially when you consider the region’s top seed. G2 looks like the region’s most complete roster: stable calling, stars who deliver in clutch moments, and the kind of map control that wins best-of-fives.  Sentinels often rely on individual moments and clutch rounds to swing matchups, but somehow remain consistent. NRG need to maintain their Stage 2 momentum while MIBR’s unpredictability makes them the kind of team that can upset a favorite on the right day.

G2 in particular is a tournament favorite thanks to how good they looked this year and, to be honest, are probably overdue an international win: can they finally do it at Paris?