ENVY triumphs in VCT Ascension Americas 2025 to secure spot in VCT 2026

The North American organisation, a long-time name in esports, marked its full comeback to VALORANT earlier this year under the leadership of Mike "Hastr0" Rufail, who reacquired the brand following its hiatus since 2022.

The current ENVY roster was formed by Hunter "inspire" Schliner, a former 100 Thieves player who gathered a promising mix of ranked players and streamers to form the amateur side RANKERS. After RANKERS qualified for VALORANT Challengers, ENVY signed the lineup ahead of the 2025 Challengers North America season. Despite early struggles, the team rebounded to win Stage 2 and finish runner-up in Stage 3.

In Ascension, ENVY opened strong with a 2-0 win over 9z Team, stumbled against TSM in a 1-2 defeat, and survived elimination by edging Stellae Gaming 2–1. From there, the squad went on an impressive playoff run, eliminating Team Solid (2-1) before twice toppling TSM - first in the Upper Bracket Final (2-1) and then in the decisive Grand Final.

The championship match began tightly, with ENVY taking Abyss 13–11 before TSM levelled on Sunset (13-11). ENVY then took control, cruising through Bind (13-6) and Ascent (13-5) to seal the title. Four ENVY players exceeded 60 kills across the series, underscoring the team's depth.

Leading the charge was Alex "canezerra" Banyasz, who posted a standout 77/65/26 KDA and 167 ADR, cementing his reputation as one of the region's brightest young duelists.

With Ascension tournaments now complete worldwide, six new teams have earned promotion to the VCT 2026 season:

ULF Esports (VCT EMEA)

BBL PCFIC (VCT EMEA)

SLT Seongnam (VCT Pacific)

Nongshim Redforce (VCT Pacific)

Dragon Ranger Gaming (VCT China)

ENVY (VCT Americas)