NRG and 100 Thieves Book Upper-Final Spot in São Paulo After Wins Over LOUD, LEVIATÁN

NRG defeated LOUD 2-1 and 100 Thieves swept LEVIATÁN 2-0 in the VCT 2026 Americas Stage 2 playoffs upper semifinals on August 29, sending both North American organizations to São Paulo for a spot in the grand final. NRG has already secured a place at Champions through Championship Points; 100 Thieves, riding an EWC 2026 title and a group-stage sweep, moved a step closer to doing the same.

NRG Survives LOUD's Push in Its Playoff Debut

Making its Stage 2 playoff debut, NRG used extra rest to slow a LOUD team that had been the form side of the bracket, closing the series out 2-1.

LOUD picked Ascent and opened with a 3-0 run, but NRG's defensive half was the difference — the team conceded only two rounds after the break to steal a map LOUD had not lost to them all stage. brawk's Odin picks were central to that swing, including a three-kill round that flipped an early economy deficit into a full reset.

Abyss became the series' turning point. NRG built a 5-2 lead on defense before LOUD, playing through a group-stage version of themselves, won five straight rounds — highlighted by a flawless A-site retake and a 3v5 clutch — to force a decider.

LOUD's momentum carried into Lotus, where a monstrous early Chamber performance from lukxo gave the team the pistol and the next three rounds. NRG answered by mirroring LOUD's own default execute patterns, taking an 8-4 half and closing the map 13-5. mada finished the series with a server-high 1.39 series rating and a 59/40/15 KDA.

100 Thieves Doesn't Slow Down

The second match paired two of Americas' hottest teams — Masters London champion LEVIATÁN against EWC 2026 winner 100 Thieves — and it wasn't close.

Summit followed the same shape. LEVIATÁN briefly leveled the half at 7-5 behind a four-round streak, and won the second-half pistol on a clean A-site execute — but 100 Thieves closed the map with six straight rounds to complete the sweep. Initiator vora led the series with a server-high 1.47 rating and a 35/16/11 KDA, sending LEVIATÁN to the lower bracket.

The Numbers Behind Both Series

Ratings and ACS as displayed for full-series performance; K/D calculated from listed kill/death totals.

The two series MVPs — mada for NRG and lukxo for LOUD — produced the day's most direct individual duel. mada's series held up statistically even in NRG's one loss, while lukxo's damage came in bursts tied to his Chamber and Yoru picks rather than sustained round involvement.

The first-kill/first-death split is the more telling number: mada opened rounds at a positive rate across the series, while lukxo's aggression produced more entries but also more early deaths — consistent with LOUD leaning on his individual playmaking to manufacture rounds rather than a slower structural attack.

What's Next

NRG and 100 Thieves now meet in São Paulo, with the winner advancing directly to the Stage 2 grand final. LOUD and LEVIATÁN both drop into the lower bracket, where their Stage 2 campaigns continue on the elimination side of the draw.

Editorial projection, not a statistical model