Pacific Meets NA: Nongshim and 100T Set EWC Valorant Semifinal
Nongshim Redforce eliminated Team Vitality 2-1 and 100 Thieves dispatched MIBR 2-1 on day two of the Esports World Cup 2026 Valorant playoffs, sending Heretics and Gentle Mates – eliminated the previous day – company in the exit bracket and locking in an all-Pacific-vs-NA semifinal that will determine one finalist at EWC.
Nongshim Dismantle Vitality on Breeze to Close 2-1
The Vitality series opened on Ascent with both sides running Phoenix double-Duelist. Dambi ‘Dambi’ Lee Hyuk-kyu on Neon looked untouched in the early going, and Nongshim led 8-4 at the half before Vitality clawed back to 9-9. Derke ‘Derke’ Nikita Sirmitev on Jett took over the closing stretch and handed Vitality map one 13-10.
Nongshim reset on Split. Xross ‘Xross’ Jeonghwan stepped up significantly from his Ascent showing, and six consecutive round wins built another 8-4 halftime cushion that Nongshim converted without drama, 13-7. The decider on Breeze was not close – Vitality took the pistol but lost the anti-eco, and Ivy ‘Ivy’ Park Sung-hyeon on Viper ran multi-kill rounds at will while Derke struggled to find answers. Nongshim closed it 13-2, with Francis ‘Francis’ Kim Mu-bin posting the highest match rating on the server at 1.23.
100T’s vora Clutch Keeps MIBR Series Alive – Then Asuna Finishes It
100 Thieves opened against regional rival MIBR on Fracture with a Harbor pick that paid off immediately; a fast Asuna ‘Asuna’ Peter Mazuryk and Timotino ‘Timotino’ Timothée Lavigne Dupont play in the pistol set the tone, and 100T reached the half up 10-2 before wrapping map one 13-2.
Breeze – 100T’s own map pick – turned sharply. MIBR won the pistol, built to 9-3 at halftime, and looked set to mirror 100T’s map-one dominance. But 100T took the second pistol and strung together multiple rounds, with vora ‘vora’ Jordan Pulwer’s 0.16-second 1v2 three-bullet clutch forcing a 9-9 tie. MIBR steadied through a timeout and took map two 13-10.
Haven settled it. MIBR moved aspas ‘aspas’ Erick Santos onto Waylay, but a failed bonus conversion early gave 100T control. Asuna’s Phoenix play drove a 7-5 halftime lead, he followed with a 1v2 clutch on the bonus round after the restart, and 100T closed the map 13-5 to win the series 2-1. Asuna was the standout performer across maps one and three.
Semifinal: Nongshim vs. 100 Thieves
With both quarterfinals complete, Nongshim Redforce and 100 Thieves will meet in the Esports World Cup Valorant semifinals. The matchup carries regional weight – Nongshim as the last Pacific representative and 100T carrying NA’s flag – and the Phoenix/Neon/Harbor compositions both teams leaned on heavily will be familiar territory for each side’s preparation. For further context on the EWC 2026 format and structure, the bracket path to the grand final runs through this semifinal.
EWC Valorant Semifinal
- Nongshim Redforce – defeated Team Vitality 2-1
- 100 Thieves – defeated MIBR 2-1
Source: VLR.gg
