The Valorant Esports World Cup group stage ended earlier today with the conclusion of the Decider Matches, where the teams with a record of 1-1 faced their group oppositions for a chance to survive for at least another day.
After two days packed of Valorant action in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Valorant Esports World Cup is now headed to the most exciting stage: the playoffs.
Here's a look at the upcoming matches and the bracket:
Fnatic vs. Karmine Corp
The first full-EMEA clash in the Valorant Esports World Cup will be played tomorrow as the VCT 2025 EMEA Stage 1 champions Fnatic will play against Karmine Corp.
The French powerhouse survived to Group A after taking down G2 Esports in their first match and Bilibili Gaming in their third. In what's Karmine Corp's first international appearance since their brief Valorant Masters Madrid participation, it's fair to say the team's result in Riyadh is already the roster's best performance in a long while.
Nevertheless, Fnatic are seen as the favorites to take the win. If the orange roster wins, the players will have a chance to redeem themselves in the semifinals as they could play against Paper Rex less than a month after falling against them in the Valorant Masters Toronto Grand Final.
Paper Rex vs. Sentinels
The Valorant Masters Toronto champions Paper Rex have been unstoppable in Riyadh as the Pacific side ran over G2 Esports and Karmine Corp in Group A.
Sentinels had to put blood, sweat, and tears to survive the action in Group B as the Americans' initial 12-14 defeat against BBL Esports was followed by victories against Asian rosters XLG Esports and DRX.
The last time both teams met was one month ago as Paper Rex took down Sentinels at the Valorant Masters Toronto Upper Bracket Semifinals. However, before that happened, the Americans had defeated the Pacific roster thrice.
NRG vs. Gen.G Esports
NRG unexpectedly took Group C's top seed after victories against Team Heretics and Rex Regum Qeon. Now, the Americans will have to play against the Valorant Masters Shanghai champions, Gen.G Esports.
In the last year, both teams have only faced off once as the Americans took down the South Koreans in December 2024 at the SOOP Valorant League 2024 Grand Finals. The game ended in a 3-0 win for the VCT 2025 Americas roster.
BBL Esports vs. Team Heretics
Last but not least, the surprise of the tournament, BBL Esports, will play against an out-of-shape Team Heretics. The team also known as Los Niños has been struggling since their second-place finish in the VCT 2025 EMEA Stage 1 as they were quickly sent home from the Valorant Masters Toronto.
Meanwhile, BBL Esports have been growing. The team surprisingly qualified for the Esports World Cup after victories against Karmine Corp and Team Liquid. In Riyadh, against all of the odds, the European mix took down Sentinels and DRX.
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