Cloud9 has allowed VALORANT pro player Michael ‘neT‘ Bernet to explore options for the VCT 2026 season, though he still remains under contract with the organisation.
The announcement follows Cloud9 failing to qualify for VALORANT Champions in Paris this year after placing fourth at VCT Americas Stage 2.
According to neT, he is exploring options for 2026 while the organisation undergoes a ‘rebuild process’ ahead of the next season. The American player shared that he is proficient with Sentinel, but is open to being in-game leader and playing Controller and scan Initiator agents.
As of writing, he remains the only player from Cloud9 so far to have been made inactive. By contrast, the other members, such as team captain Mitchell ‘mitch‘ Semagoi and Erick ‘Xeppaa‘ Bach, remain in the active roster.
The news surrounding neT surfaces a week after Cloud9’s former assistant coach, Guglielmo ‘GUGLi‘ Carraro, announced the end of his contract with the organisation on October 2nd, 2025.
Cloud9’s Performance in 2025
2025 has been a rough year for Cloud9 competitively, as the squad has failed to qualify for any international VCT events.
It was unable to advance to Masters Bangkok after placing 10th out of 12 teams in the VCT Americas Kickoff, losing 1:2 to MIBR in the first round of the Lower brackets. Cloud9 also did not compete in Masters Toronto after placing eighth in VCT Americas Stage 1, losing 0:2 to Sentinels.
Other notable events include the Americas Qualifiers for the VALORANT Esports World Cup event. It failed to make the top two qualifying spots for the event in Riyadh after placing fifth out of nine teams, losing 2:0 to NRG.
Its most recent performance was at Americas Stage 2, where it missed out on this year’s VALORANT Champions event in Paris after experiencing a 1:2 loss to NRG in the Lower Bracket Semi-finals.
