The VCT Americas Stage 2 playoffs continued today with NRG NRG North America Rank #2 keiko Georgio Sanassy brawk Brock Somerhalder mada Adam Pampuch skuba Logan Jenkins Ethan Ethan Arnold and 100 Thieves 100 Thieves North America Rank #1 Cryocells Matthew Panganiban Asuna Peter Mazuryk vora Jordan Pulwer Timotino Timothée Lavigne Dupont bang Sean Bezerra getting their first taste of victory in the playoffs, defeating LOUD LOUD Brazil Rank #1 lukxo Lucca Travaioli DaviH David Cruz Darker Sebastián Castro Cicuamia erde Roberto Lobos tkzin Enzo Zimiani loan cauanzin Cauan Pereira and LEVIATÁN LEVIATÁN North America Rank #3 spike Rodrigo Lombardi blowz Guilherme Oliviera Neon Bruno Rodríguez Sato Eduardo Kenzo Nagahama Sato kiNgg Francisco Aravena . With the wins, NRG and 100 Thieves book their spots in São Paulo, while 100 Thieves move one step closer to Champions qualification. NRG has officially qualified through Championship Points.

NRG puts LOUD away in a close series

The first match of the day pitted a white-hot LOUD against NRG, who were making their Stage 2 playoff debut. The extra days of rest gave NRG a boost, allowing the North American squad to slow LOUD's recent momentum and close out the series 2–1.

The series started on LOUD's pick of Ascent, where they looked at home with a rousing 3-0 start. A patented Odin 3k from brawk led to an eco win for NRG and a subsequent run. LOUD finished the half winning only two rounds, trailing 7-5 at the break. NRG took control in the second half with a stifling defense, allowing only two rounds and claiming victory on a map they had not yet played in Americas Stage 2. brawk stood out with a server-high 2.0 rating and a 26/11/8 KDA on Sova.

Abyss recently came back to the competitive pool, and NRG wasted no time picking it. NRG had found plenty of success on the map before its rotation out of the pool, posting a 67% win rate. LOUD entered Abyss aiming to put a dent in that number.

Both squads showcased different double-Duelist compositions. tkzin led LOUD on Waylay while lukxo played Yoru for the first time in his career. mada and keiko continued their Phoenix and Jett shenanigans from Ascent. The two squads traded blows throughout the first half, entering the break deadlocked at 6-6.

NRG held down both A- and B-sites on defense, winning five of the first seven rounds. The match looked over, but LOUD rediscovered their group-stage form. A flawless A-site retake, a 3v5 clutch, and a final lukxo 3k fueled five straight rounds, completing the comeback 13-11. Heroics from erde and lukxo, including a combined 50 kills, forced a deciding third map. Despite the loss, mada led the server with a 1.62 rating.

Lotus settled the series. LOUD's momentum from Abyss carried over, as the squad claimed the pistol round and the next three rounds behind a monstrous early performance from lukxo on his resident Chamber pick.

NRG adapted to LOUD's default playstyle, locking down multiple executes across all three sites to take the half 8-4. Very little changed after the side swap, as NRG took a page out of LOUD's book, stealing the first four rounds of the half. A round 17 win gave LOUD a glimmer of hope for another comeback, but NRG crushed it, closing the map 13-5.

mada stole the show across the series, posting a 1.39 rating and 59/40/15 KDA. NRG will meet 100 Thieves in São Paulo where the winner will move on to the grand final.

100 Thieves dismantles Leviatán

The second match of the day featured two of the hottest teams in Americas. Masters London winners LEVIATÁN LEVIATÁN North America Rank #3 spike Rodrigo Lombardi blowz Guilherme Oliviera Neon Bruno Rodríguez Sato Eduardo Kenzo Nagahama Sato kiNgg Francisco Aravena faced off against EWC 2026 winners 100 Thieves 100 Thieves North America Rank #1 Cryocells Matthew Panganiban Asuna Peter Mazuryk vora Jordan Pulwer Timotino Timothée Lavigne Dupont bang Sean Bezerra . The North American organization continued their dominant run from the Stage 2 group stage, making quick work of Leviatán 2-0.

The series started off on Leviatán's pick of Lotus. Sato and Neon took the reins on Raze and Jett respectively, running the same composition Leviatán has shown across Stage 2, while 100 Thieves opted for a double-Controller composition. 100T won the pistol round, but Leviatán's trademark aggressive playstyle allowed the Argentinian organization to steal a thrifty round.

LEV's success ended after the eco win. Continuous late-round executes to the A- and C-sites overwhelmed Leviatán's defense, as 100 Thieves ran away with the half leading to a 10-2 scoreline. Once LEV lost the pistol round, 100 Thieves never looked back, and the EWC winners decisively stole Leviatán's map pick. The North American squad played well across the board, with Controller-main bang topping the leaderboard at a 1.99 rating and 17/6/6 KDA.

Summit brought a repeat of Lotus for the second map of the series. Both teams settled for a double-Duelist composition centered around Neon. 100 Thieves didn't skip a beat on their attack. An almost flawless pistol round ignited a four-round win streak before LEV could reply. 100 Thieves responded with three subsequent round wins, but LEV didn't give up easily, winning the last four rounds of the half, settling for a 7-5 scoreline.

An easy A-site execute followed by a stalwart site hold on 100 Thieves' retake allowed LEV to win the pistol and bonus round, but 100 Thieves kept their foot on the gas, winning six rounds in a row to complete the 2-0 sweep.

vora was the catalyst behind 100 Thieves' dominance. A server-high 1.47 rating and 35/16/11 KDA showcased his fragging ability in the Initiator role.

100 Thieves sends Leviatán to the lower bracket. The North American organization will clash against NRG for a spot in the grand final.