Riot Games announced that all four Americas teams and three Pacific teams survived the Valorant Champions Shanghai group stage, with the playoffs kicking off on the 7th.
Valorant is a 5v5 character-based PC tactical shooter developed and published by Riot Games. The group stage was held from September 24 to October 4 at the Jing'an Sports Center in Shanghai, China.
From the Pacific region, Paper Rex (PRX), T1, and Nongshim RedForce (NS) secured spots in the playoffs. PRX defeated Team Liquid (TL) and G2 each by a score of 2-1 in Group C, finishing as the only Pacific team to go undefeated through the group stage. Global Esports (GE), winner of Pacific Finals Busan, failed to advance past the group stage in their first Champions appearance.
T1 and Nongshim RedForce both lost their opening matches 0-2 against 100 Thieves (100T) and defending champions NRG, respectively, but joined the playoffs after stringing together two consecutive wins. In the decider match, T1 defeated FUT Esports (FUT)—a team they had lost to twice at Champions Los Angeles 2023—with a 2-0 score. Both sets ended 13-10, with Ham "iZu" Woo-joo delivering clutch performances at pivotal moments. Nongshim RedForce advanced to the playoffs in their Champions debut; the team previously won Masters Santiago in 2026 and finished as runners-up at Pacific Finals Busan.
All four participating Americas teams survived. The region, which won Champions three times between 2021 and 2025, dropped only 5 out of a total of 22 sets during this group stage. Top seed 100T advanced to the playoffs without dropping a single set.
In contrast, all four teams from the host region, CN, were eliminated. EDward Gaming (EDG), the 2024 Champions winners led by Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang, failed to claim a single set victory. In EMEA, three teams were eliminated—including top seed Karmine Corp (KC)—leaving fourth seed Team Vitality (VIT) as the sole survivor.
With a different team winning the title every year since Champions launched in 2021, NRG—who went 2-0 to top Group D—is aiming to become the first back-to-back and two-time champion in tournament history. Meanwhile, the Pacific region, which has yet to produce a Champions winner, sees PRX, T1, and Nongshim RedForce aiming for its inaugural title. Pacific's best result to date was PRX's runner-up finish in 2023.
The double-elimination playoffs continue on the 7th with a match between T1 and NRG. Following that match, PRX will face LOUD, while Nongshim RedForce will take on VIT on the 8th.
