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The first match of the VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 Americas KICK-OFF, which kicks off on January 16 at Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles, will feature a showdown between ENVY and Evil Geniuses. Organized by Riot Games as part of the VCT 2026 series, the tournament brings together the strongest teams in the region, making this match a strong opening for the participants. ENVY and Evil Geniuses have already shown interesting performances in their preparations, so this encounter promises to be intense and engaging for VALORANT fans.We invite you to take a look at the teams’ current form and the forecast for this matchup.
Let's dive in.
How the bookies view it: Evil Geniuses favored
According to the latest betting odds, Evil Geniuses are considered the favorites in this matchup, with a price of 1.73, while ENVY is slightly behind at 2.03. The odds suggest that bookmakers see EG as the team more likely to take the win, reflecting their recent performances and consistency in competitive play. Additionally, for the total maps, the line is set at 2.5 maps, with over 2.5 maps at 1.91 and under 2.5 maps at 1.83.
ENVY form. What result can be expected from ENVY
ENVY is a North American Valorant esports team representing the ENVY organization and regularly competing on both regional and international VALORANT tournaments across online and LAN formats. After returning to competitive Valorant in 2025, the team entered a new phase ahead of the 2026 season, combining experienced veterans with new talent. The current lineup is built around Eggsterr, Inspire, and P0PPIN, with keznit adding duelist depth and Rossy taking on the IGL/smoke role, forming a squad aimed at maintaining stability and competitiveness at the top North American level.
- ENVY roster: Eggsterr, Inspire, P0PPIN, keznit, Rossy
Throughout 2025, ENVY produced strong and notable results across multiple tiers of competition. The team’s most significant success came at VCT Ascension Americas 2025, where they claimed the championship with a 3–1 victory over TSM in the final (Abyss 13:11, Sunset 11:13, Bind 13:6, Ascent 13:5), securing a direct slot in VCT Americas League 2026. On the Swiss stage, ENVY also recorded decisive wins against teams like 9Z Team (2–0) and Stellae Gaming (2–1), demonstrating their ability to perform under pressure.
In addition to Ascension, ENVY competed in VALORANT Challengers North America 2025, showing both strengths and vulnerabilities. The team achieved victories over Ambrosia (3–1), Burger Boyz (2–0), and SaD Esports (2–0), while suffering losses to TSM (1–3) in Stage 3 Playoffs, highlighting areas for improvement in high-stakes series. ENVY also participated in international events such as SEN City Classic 2025, finishing second to Sentinels, and Red Bull Home Ground 2025, where they demonstrated competitiveness against European squads.
While ENVY excelled in structured environments and regional competitions, maintaining consistency against the strongest opponents proved challenging. Matches against elite teams such as TSM showcased moments of dominance but also exposed tactical weaknesses. Despite these challenges, ENVY remained a prominent presence throughout 2025, regularly qualifying for major events and demonstrating their potential on both North American and international stages.
Overall, the 2025 season reflected a period of growth and re-establishment for ENVY in Valorant: the team successfully transitioned from Challengers to winning Ascension, showing resilience, adaptability, and the ability to compete at a high level. Their main objective moving forward is to build on this momentum in VCT Americas League 2026 and translate regional success into deeper runs at Masters and Champions events.
ENVY Map Pool
The ENVY team demonstrates a diverse and adaptable map pool in their matches, with clear strengths as well as maps that need improvement. The team performs most confidently on Bind — out of 9 maps played, ENVY won 8, resulting in an 89% win rate, thanks to strong duel coordination and control of key sites. Haven is also a stable map, with a 70% win rate across 10 matches, although the team sometimes struggles to defend long-range positions. Ascent and Abyss show solid performance as well, with a 67% win rate on both maps, reflecting strong attacking strategies and effective duelist play, particularly Eggsterr on Yoru. Pearl and Corrode also show a high win rate (75%), though their selection is limited. At the same time, Split (40%) and Sunset (42%) remain weaker maps for ENVY, where the team often loses control and key positions to opponents. Icebox has only been played once and was won — 100%, while Breeze has not yet been used in official matches. Lotus and Pearl show average results, with victories in roughly half of the games.
EG form. What result can be expected from Evil Geniuses
Evil Geniuses is a North American Valorant esports team representing the EG organization and regularly competing in both regional and international VALORANT tournaments across online and LAN formats. Founded as a VCT International League team and crowned 2023 VALORANT Champions, EG has a rich history of success on the international stage. After a challenging 2025 season, the team entered a new phase ahead of the 2026 season, combining veteran leadership with emerging talent. The current lineup is built around C0M, supamen, bao, okeanos, and dgzin, forming a squad aimed at restoring stability and competitiveness at the top North American level.
EG roster: C0M, supamen, bao, okeanos, dgzinThroughout 2025, EG produced mixed results across multiple tiers of competition. The team’s most notable regional outcomes included a 4th place finish at VCT Americas Stage 1, a 7th–8th place at Americas Kickoff, and another 7th–8th finish at VCT Americas Stage 2, narrowly missing qualification for Masters Toronto 2025. Despite this, EG recorded key victories, including eliminating KRÜ Esports from the Stage 1 playoffs, demonstrating that the team retained competitive potential against strong North American squads.
In addition to these regional results, EG’s roster showed flashes of tactical depth and individual skill, but consistency against top-tier opponents remained a challenge. Matches against elite teams highlighted both moments of dominance and vulnerabilities in high-pressure series, emphasizing the need for strategic cohesion and leadership, which the return of C0M as IGL aims to provide.
Overall, the 2025 season reflected a transitional period for Evil Geniuses in Valorant: while the team fell short of international events, they maintained a presence at major regional competitions and demonstrated the foundation for a rebound. Their main objective moving forward is to leverage the experience of returning veterans and rising talent to achieve deeper runs in VCT Americas League 2026 and qualify for Masters and Champions events, re-establishing EG as a top-tier contender on both North American and international stages.
Evil Geniuses Map Pool
The Evil Geniuses Valorant team currently demonstrates a mixed and developing map pool, with certain maps showing potential while others remain weaknesses. Their strongest map is Ascent, where EG holds a 67% win rate across 3 matches, reflecting solid attacking strategies and effective coordination. Lotus and Corrode are also competitive, each with a 50% win rate, showing the team can perform on these maps but still lacks consistency. On the other hand, maps such as Bind, Haven, Split, Icebox, Pearl, and Sunset have yielded very low win rates (0–25%), indicating areas where tactical adjustments and practice are needed. Breeze and Fracture have not been used in official matches, leaving their performance on these maps untested. Overall, EG’s map pool suggests a team in transition, capable of strong performances on selected maps like Ascent, but requiring refinement to become consistently competitive across the full VALORANT map rotation.
ENVY vs Evil Geniuses – Head‑to‑Head
There are no recorded official match results between ENVY and Evil Geniuses yet in Valorant competition history.
Predicted result of the match between ENVY and EG at VCT 2026: Americas Kickoff
Looking at the upcoming clash between ENVY and Evil Geniuses in the VCT 2026: Americas Kickoff, fans can expect a competitive and closely contested series. While EG enters the match as slight favorites according to bookmakers, ENVY has shown strong form in 2025, including their championship at VCT Ascension Americas and consistent performances against top North American teams. Both squads possess a mix of veteran leadership and emerging talent, which suggests that neither team is likely to dominate every map outright. Considering the strengths and weaknesses of their map pools—ENVY excelling on Bind, Ascent, and Abyss, while EG is strongest on Ascent, Lotus, and Corrode—this matchup is likely to see momentum swings and map wins traded back and forth. Additionally, neither team has faced each other in an official match yet, adding an element of unpredictability. Taking all factors into account, a series extending beyond two maps is a realistic expectation, making the total over 2.5 maps a reasonable prediction for bettors and viewers alike.
Betting prediction: Total Over 2.5 Maps.
LOUD15.01.2620:00Bo3
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