Former Sentinels head coach Kaplan is moving to the VALORANT Challengers 2026 North America tournament to lead M80.
Adam “Kaplan” Kaplan, one of the most prominent coaches in North America and a key figure behind Sentinels’ success, moved on after a disappointing start to 2026 and internal controversies. Kaplan is now heading to the VALORANT Challengers 2026 North America to lead M80.
Kaplan joins M80
On March 19, M80 officially announced their new head coach for the VALORANT Challengers 2026 North America: Stage 2. Kaplan joined the organization three years after leading Sentinels in North America, where he won the VCT 2024: Americas Kickoff and Masters Madrid in the same year. Kaplan left Sentinels after some internal issues and disagreements, as the CEO revealed in a recent stream.
“Some of my most fun days coaching have been in the last couple weeks,” kaplan wrote on X. “These guys get what it means to be a team, and they know how to have fun while doing it. Stoked to show what we’re capable of, and I’m grateful to everyone at M80 for placing their trust in us.”
VALORANT Challengers 2026 North America: Stage 2
Aside from Boni and NiSMO, M80 brought a refreshed roster to compete at the VALORANT Challengers 2026 North America: Stage 2. The full roster is:
- Mark “Boni” Bonifacio
- Alvin “alvinboy” Hong (former TSM)
- Marc-Andre “NiSMO” Tayar (former M80 coach)
- Mirel “Kyu” Braco Hrustemovic (former Sentinels)
- Adam “spaz” Laamoumi (former Nightblood Gaming)
- Adam “kaplan” Kaplan (Head Coach)
The organization is returning to the Tier 2 American League. They count with two victories over Pigeons and Evil Geniuses Academy, and a loss against Shopify Rebellion Black. Their next match will be against NRG Academy for Round 4 of the VALORANT Challengers 2026 North America: Stage 2.
The event kicked off on March 23 and will continue until May 7. The bottom three teams will be relegated. Those who reach four victories will head straight to the Playoffs stage.