2026 VCT Stage 1 groups unveiled for Americas, EMEA, Pacific, and China

With the conclusion of the VCT 2026 Kickoff events across EMEA, Americas, Pacific and China, all 2026 VCT Stage 1 groups have been drawn.

For the Stage 1 Group Stage, each region will divide its teams into two single-round robin groups, called Group Alpha and Group Omega.

Each region’s group draw used seeding pools based on teams’ competitive performance at VCT Kickoff.

For example, the first team drawn from the pool of teams finishing 11th and 12th was placed in the region’s Group Alpha, while the second team drawn went to Group Omega.

All Stage 1 group draws were held following the region’s VCT Kickoff Lower Bracket Final.

VCT EMEA’s Group Alpha includes Gentle Mates and Team Liquid, two of the three teams that qualified for Masters Santiago. However, Group Omega seems more stacked across the board, featuring EMEA giants such as Fnatic and GIANTX.

Moreover, ULF Esports and Team Vitality will field their full rosters during Stage 1, as all of their players will have turned 18 by April.

The groups for VCT Americas look fairly even. Group Omega hosts two Masters Santiago teams, FURIA and NRG, while Group Alpha features the superteam MIBR. Lower-seeded teams across both groups, including Leviatán and Sentinels, carry a lot of potential for improvement as the season progresses.

It is unclear at the moment whether KRÜ Esports’ official line-up will have its visa issues or if the LATAM organisation will have to continue competing with a substitute roster.

VCT Pacific has drawn a stacked Group Alpha for Stage 1. In addition to Masters Santiago teams, Nongshim RedForce and Paper Rex, the group includes two big Pacific names, DRX and Gen.G Esports, as well as a promising dark horse in Global Esports.

Although Group Omega features up-and-coming teams such as DFM, FULL SENSE, and VARREL, they have been inconsistent or have underperformed so far.

VCT’s youngest region has seen numerous upsets and unexpected results during Kickoff, making the Stage 1 groups fairly open. By the end of Kickoff, however, some of China’s historically dominant organisations such as EDward Gaming and Bilibili Gaming, have come out on top or at least showed signs of life again. 

Moreover, Group Omega is brimming with teams such as Dragon Ranger Gaming and Wolves Esports, which can easily upset bigger names.

2026 VCT Stage 1 across all International Leagues will kick off in April, following the conclusion of Masters Santiago, the first global event of the VCT 2026 competitive calendar. Stage 1 will also offer qualification for Masters London taking place in June to every region’s top three teams.