P0PPIN is Benched from ENVY

VALORANT pro and content creator P0PPIN made waves by moving into the pro player world. After a year on ENVY, the org has announced he will be benched before VCT Americas: Stage 2. Let’s explore everything the community knows about the decision.

ENVY Has Benched P0PPIN

On June 30, 2026, NA org ENVY announced it would bench Matteo “P0PPIN” Weber from its VALORANT roster. In an X.com post explaining the situation, the team simply wrote: “Moving forward, @P0PPIN will be under the ENVY reserve roster for VCT NA Stage 2.”

The post included a ‘thank you’ image, but did not elaborate further. P0PPIN has not yet commented on the move.

What Does This Mean for VALORANT Esports?

ENVY’s VCT roster includes a slew of content creators. P0PPIN is one of them, with over 150,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel. He is well-known in VALORANT folklore for his unique movement mechanics. Community members will recognize the infamous “Poppin Swing”, where a player continues moving after swinging until their opponent wastes their entire mag, ending the exchange with a clean headtap. P0PPIN’s most famous video, “Killing Streamers With the Poppin Swing,” went viral in 2022, attaining over 2 million views. Though it had already occurred in other esports, P0PPIN was one of the first VALORANT personalities to transcend from content creation to pro play, paving the way for others.

ENVY’s roster also includes famed Yoru main Eggster, who boasts 253,000 subscribers, and formerly included canezerra, who also dabbled in content creation.

Why Was P0PPIN Benched from ENVY?

In 2025, ENVY won VCT Ascension: Americas. This elevated the org from a Tier 2 to Tier 1 status, bringing it head-to-head with competitors in VCT Americas’ main circuit. Throughout 2026, ENVY has competed in the Americas: Kickoff and Americas: Stage 1 tournaments, achieving relatively low results in both. The org also did not gain entry to the Esports World Cup 2026, scoring similarly in qualifiers.

Graduating from Ascension is no small feat. It’s not unheard of that creator-centric teams climb to main esports tournaments: think League of Legends’ Los Ratones, which surged to mainstream play while streaming all of its scrims. However, if ENVY wants to hold its own against tough Americas region competition, it’s clear that some changes have to be made. G2, MIBR, Leviatán, NRG, Sentinels, KRU, and LOUD all hail from the region. Two of these teams have previous Champions trophies, and they all pose a significant threat. ENVY is attempting to step up its game, and it may be shifting focus from content creators to athletes with more pro experience. In February 2026, it added Champions 2023 winner Demon1 to its roster.

VCT Americas Stage 2 is also ENVY’s last chance to qualify for Champions 2026. The tournament’s top two teams automatically earn entry slots, so performance is crucial. Many teams are making significant roster moves during this period, especially because it also falls before the Esports World Cup. For example, Global Esports is shifting its coaches around, and EDG Smoggy is having a teammate sub in while he recovers from a health issue. Essentially, this is one of the last major stretches for rest, recovery, and restructuring before team lineups have to lock in for good.