100 Thieves, Global Esports, TYLOO, and Karmine Corp emerge as regional favorites heading into VALORANT Champions Shanghai

With VALORANT Champions Shanghai approaching, the regional Stage 2 winners have emerged as the strongest contenders in their respective regions heading into the tournament. Esports Insider analyzed each region's champion based on Stage 2 performance and Championship Points seeding, reasoning that teams peaking at the right time demonstrate both current form and tactical adaptation to the meta.

100 Thieves (Americas) have captured the top Americas seed after a remarkable turnaround. Finishing 4th in Stage 1 and missing both Masters events, they found their stride at Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, sweeping LOUD 3–0 in qualifiers before defeating MIBR, Nongshim RedForce, and NRG to claim the trophy. Matthew 'Cryocells' Panganiban earned MVP honors at EWC. In VCT Stage 2, 100 Thieves topped Group Omega with a 4–1 record and swept Leviatán and NRG in the upper bracket before taking down LOUD 3–2 in the finals. Peter 'Asuna' Mazuryk was named Stage 2 grand final MVP. The team holds the #3 spot on the Global Power Rankings with a 17–8 record.

Global Esports (Pacific) secured the region's top seed with a historic playoff performance. Ranked #2 globally and #1 in Pacific on the GPR with a 16–12 record, Global Esports delivered one of the greatest comebacks in VALORANT esports history during the Stage 2 grand final. After falling behind Nongshim RedForce 0–2, they won the final three maps in succession to complete the reverse sweep. Go 'UdoTan' Kyung-won, the South Korean superstar, earned Finals MVP. The comeback demonstrated the big-match temperament the team will carry into Champions Shanghai.

TYLOO (China) claimed the regional title despite not qualifying for Masters events earlier in the season. Recording a 4–1 group stage record, they lost the seeding match against XLG Esports but mounted a dominant lower-bracket run, eliminating All Gamers, NOVA Esports, and Bilibili Gaming before facing JD Gaming in the finals. After JD Gaming took the opening map, TYLOO stabilized and won three consecutive maps for a 3–1 victory. Indonesian player Moses 'Splash' Jonathan earned four MVP awards during Stage 2. TYLOO ranks #1 in China and #13 globally on the GPR with an 18–10 record and 1,321 points.

Karmine Corp (EMEA) completed an improbable mid-season turnaround to secure the region's Champions spot. After finishing 9th–12th at Esports World Cup 2026 with their season appearing beyond recovery, Karmine Corp showed marked improvements in individual form and tactical depth during Stage 2. They topped Group Omega with a 4–1 record and advanced through the playoffs, with Hazem 'avez' Khaled leading a 2–1 upper bracket victory over Enterprise Esports. Ranked #1 in EMEA and #9 globally on the GPR with 1,384 points, Karmine Corp will represent the region at the championship event.