VALORANT Champions 2025 playoffs tips & odds – September 26

The second pair of VALORANT Champions 2025 upper-bracket quarterfinals get underway when Team Heretics take on MIBR this Friday, while GIANTX will aim to keep their Cinderella run alive and take down the surging NRG.

ESB brings you free VALORANT betting previews and picks for both games on September 26 in Paris, with esports odds courtesy of the best bookmakers for gamblers in United States.

TEAM HERETICS vs MIBR

Best Odds: TH -181.82 at BetOnline | MIBR +162 at SportsBetting
When: September 26, 2025 | 15:00 CEST
Watch Live: Twitch

Team Heretics topped Group D with two sweeps of G2 Esports and T1. MIBR were not as successful in Group B, but they showed signs of life with a dominant victory against Bilibili Gaming, a competitive loss to Fnatic, and a 2-0 sweep of Rex Regum Qeon.

MIBR are in much better shape than anticipated — especially Erick “aspas” Santos, who holds the second-highest player rating for the tournament (1.32). Team Heretics also have a star player this event, Enes “RieNs” Ecirli, who has been far more consistent in Paris while averaging a 1.31 rating.

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  The bookies' bookie

Both teams looked surprisingly good in the group stage. Team Heretics arguably have a higher ceiling, but MIBR have been playing like an entirely different beast, stopping their opponents on every map they’ve won so far.

This should be an interesting game. While Heretics should be slightly favored, MIBR appear slightly underrated at +162 on the top VALORANT betting sites.

NRG vs GIANTX

Best Odds: NRG -188.68 at SportsBetting | GX +137 at BetOnline
When: September 26, 2025 | 18:00 CEST
Watch Live: Twitch

GIANTX defied the odds by making the VALORANT Champions playoffs. But they will have to produce another big upset when they take on VCT Americas second seed NRG, who have had a great run through the final stage of the season.

In the group stage, NRG defeated EDward Gaming and reverse-swept DRX. Their strength comes from the fact they do not have a single player carrying the squad, instead winning with strong teamwork.

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  Fast Payouts

GIANTX came out of nowhere, and while their run so far could be viewed as a fluke, they have been producing impressive performances. With a reverse-sweep of Sentinels and a very competitive 1-2 loss to Paper Rex, Eduard-George “ara” Hanceriuc and his crew have left a very strong impression.

On paper, NRG appear as the better, more well-rounded team. But GIANTX are much better on Haven (80% vs 25%), Ascent (71% vs 50%), and Sunset (57% vs 0%), making them an appealing pick as outsiders.