VCT 2026 EMEA Stage 2 Play-In continues on August 13 with Joblife vs PCIFIC Esports and GIANTX vs Fnatic.
VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 EMEA Stage 2 Play-In continues on Thursday, August 13, when Joblife face the struggling PCIFIC Esports, followed by a clash between Fnatic and GIANTX.
Esportbet brings you free VALORANT predictions and betting picks for the two games, with odds from the best esports bookmakers for VCT betting.
Joblife started VCT EMEA Stage 2 Play-In with a 2-1 victory against Natus Vincere, but lost the second-round clash against Eternal Fire, 1-2.
Meanwhile, PCIFIC Esports kicked off their campaign with a bad loss against Fire Flux Esports.
PCIFIC ended the Stage 2 group stage as the worst-performing team in the league, having failed to win a single game and just three out of 13 maps played.
Their performance in the first round of the Play-In was just the continuation of PCIFIC’s long stretch of poor results, as they managed just 11 combined rounds across Summit and Split.
Despite being a tier-one team, PCIFIC Esports have hardly been playing like one. Meanwhile, Joblife handled NAVI and played a competitive game against Eternal Fire, suggesting they have the tools to challenge mid-table VCT teams.
Considering PCIFIC Esports’ poor showings this stage, it is hard to take their side in this contest.
Joblife already played two impressive games against teams stronger than PCIFIC, suggesting a 2-0 sweep for the Challenger team is not unlikely.
Joblife -1.5 maps
GIANTX placed last in Group Omega with a 1-4 record, which is not promising.
While they managed to handle Eintracht Frankfurt in the first round of the Play-Ins, GIANTX turned back into a pumpkin in the second round and lost against FUT Esports in a one-sided sweep.
Fnatic have not looked great this stage either, ending the group stage in fifth place, one win above GIANTX.
To that, they added a rough 1-2 loss against Enterprise Esports in the first round of the Play-Ins. Despite the disappointing performances, however, the top-rated VALORANT bookmakers have Fnatic listed as -400 favourites to come out ahead on Thursday.
The Black & Orange have already beaten GIANTX earlier this stage, and they remain a team with a very high ceiling.
GIANTX, on the other hand, are not only in bad shape, but they also do not have the tools to aim as high as Fnatic.
This is a must-win match for Fnatic, who, despite their struggles, are a tier above GIANTX.
Fnatic -1.5 maps
Mark Prezelj
Esports Betting Analyst
Mark Prezelj is a Slovenian esports betting analyst with over 3,500 articles at EsportBet and the founder of Lines64.com — someone who has been reading odds longer than most readers have been watching esports.
