A Small but Significant VRS Update — Analysis of the September Rankings by innersh1ne
The September VRS rankings seemed to be the least important of the current competitive season—they don’t really lead to any major invitations. However, Valve decided to step in and spice things up by forgetting to release the monthly update. Let’s take a look at the current standings and, while we’re at it, figure out what happened—and why this is a problem.
Amnesia or Negligence?
The biggest news in Counter-Strike this September is that Valve failed to release its monthly update on time, throwing the scene into chaos. On the first Monday of every month, teams and organizers wait for the VRS standings update so they can determine as quickly as possible who will play in which events. Usually, the rankings are released on Monday evening around 9:00 p.m. Moscow time; this time, the final version didn’t appear until late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. Although the situation is generally unpleasant, tournament organizers have issued almost no major invites based specifically on this year’s September rankings—and that alone saved Valve from a massive scandal.
But in the end, the updated table still turned out to be inaccurate! Valve released the final version retroactively, including extra matches. Notably, if the update had come out on time, Alliance and magic would have swapped places. Currently, the teams are ranked 22nd and 23rd, respectively, when it should be the other way around. There are also some minor glitches in the Tier 3 scene, but this is unlikely to affect any invitations to online tournaments.
The problem turned out to be that no one was prepared for a situation where Valve would delay the rankings for a couple of days without any communication. Organizers began handing out invites based on an incorrect HLTV list; there were no comments from the developers—only silence. We can only hope this doesn’t happen again.
Top 10: Team Spirit Retains the Lead
Valve’s top ten teams in the world as of August 2026:
- 1. Team Spirit,
- 2. MOUZ,
- 3. Team Falcons,
- 4. FUT,
- 5. Team Vitality,
- 6. Legacy,
- 7. FURIA,
- 8. G2,
- 9. 9z,
- 10. FaZe Clan.
There haven’t been any major changes within the top 10, but a couple of things are worth noting:
- FUT has burst onto the list of the world’s best teams, climbing ten spots in the rankings over the past month. The Turkish organization has secured its spot at the PGL Singapore Major 2026, most likely even advancing to the second or third stage.
- FaZe Clan has moved up three spots and now rounds out the top 10—it’s important for them to continue qualifying for Tier 1 LAN tournaments, maintain their status, and gain experience.
- 9z dropped five spots, but since the September ranking is an “interim” one, this isn’t too significant for them. It’s much more important for them to climb a couple of spots over the coming weeks.
Top 30: Team Liquid’s Return and 100 Thieves’ Breakout
- 11. Natus Vincere,
- 12. Aurora,
- 13. B8,
- 14. Inner Circle,
- 15. BETBOOM,
- 16. BIG,
- 17. Team Liquid,
- 18. PARIVISION,
- 19. The MongolZ,
- 20. Astralis,
- 21. MIBR,
- 22. Alliance,
- 23. magic,
- 24. HEROIC,
- 25. HOTU,
- 26. TYLOO,
- 27. 100 Thieves,
- 28. GamerLegion,
- 29. Ninjas in Pyjamas,
- 30. Betclic.
What’s interesting happening in the second tier of the scene?
- Let’s start by noting 100 Thieves’ breakout into the top 30. After nearly a year, the “Thieves” are closing in on a Major berth—the October LAN tournaments will decide it all.
- We also can’t overlook Team Liquid’s resurgence—despite their shaky and inconsistent play, the “Horses” have racked up several solid LAN victories and received a nice boost in the rankings. The question now is whether they can pose a real threat on the Tier 1 scene.
- B8 climbed seven spots and moved out of the danger zone back into a stable position—just a little more and the Ukrainian organization’s roster would have lost its invitations to the top tournaments.
- HEROIC is climbing the ranks with its new roster and is already in 24th place. Under the leadership of Jonas “doto” Fors, the roster has started playing like a cohesive team for the first time in a long while. At this rate, HEROIC will make it to the Winter Major.
- The MongolZ continues to slip in the rankings and is now on the verge of falling out of the invitation zone for Tier 1 tournaments based on the global ranking. This isn’t too much of a headache, since the Mongolian team will have regional invites, but that system isn’t in place for every event. However, a slot at the PGL Singapore Major is already guaranteed.
Top 50: 1win Is One Step Away from a Breakthrough
- 31. 1win,
- 32. JiJieHao,
- 33. fnatic,
- 34. Dendele,
- 35. 3DMAX,
- 36. EYEBALLERS,
- 37. K27,
- 38. BC.Game,
- 39. Lynn Vision,
- 40. Virtus.pro,
- 41. M80,
- 42. paiN,
- 43. Nuclear TigeRES,
- 44. Luminosity,
- 45. Nemesis,
- 46. Acend,
- 47. INFINITE,
- 48. Sashi,
- 49. Nemiga,
- 50. NRG.
As always, there’s plenty of movement on the Tier 2 scene:
- Starting at the bottom of the list, NRG brings up the rear. The team is facing major problems and has a very real chance of missing the Major in Singapore. Given the region’s new powerhouse teams—9z, Dendele, and Team Liquid—there are no “free” slots left for North America to qualify for the Major. For a team of NRG’s caliber, missing the Major would be a complete failure.
- M80 is currently the last team on the list to qualify for the PGL Singapore Major. The main rivalry is expected to unfold between M80 and NRG.
- Fnatic has climbed nearly 30 spots and now has a real chance of qualifying for the Major, as well as securing invites to Tier 2 LAN events.
- 1win is ranked 31st and has been playing consistently with its revamped roster. Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov’s team is already capable of competing against Tier 1 opponents and, if they keep up the momentum, will make it to the PGL Singapore Major 2026. This may be partly due to the fact that the TDK roster has found a “home” and can now train without distractions.
- BC.Game is currently ranked 38th and looks competitive for the first time in a long while. However, Alexander “s1mple” Kostylev’s squad is still far from peak form and hasn’t shown consistency in matches against strong teams—their best-of-3 losses to FOKUS and 100 Thieves speak for themselves. So despite a decent upward trajectory, BC.Game is unlikely to make it to Singapore unless there’s a sudden breakthrough.
Tier 3 News
What’s happening outside the top 50?
- FOKUS and FlyQuest occupy the 51st and 52nd positions, respectively. So close in the rankings, yet such different stories—FOKUS managed to stay afloat after the summer transfers, while FlyQuest continues to stagnate and, for the first time in a long while, risks missing a Major. Qualifying for Singapore via the Asian region isn’t that difficult, but the Australians just can’t seem to find their rhythm.
- DEPO, the CIS roster of the Uzbek organization, has begun its rise. It currently sits in 59th place and hopes to qualify for the PGL Singapore Major 2026. The road won’t be easy, but anything is possible.
- The summer roster shakeup proved unsuccessful for many European organizations—9INE, Metizport, BRUTE, OG, and ASTRAL are far from stable and have almost no chance of making it to Singapore. It’s time for many teams to start thinking about reshuffles during the next transfer window.
