LOUD are the Valorant Champions 2026 winners. The Brazilian team beat Team Vitality 3-1 in the grand final at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai on Sunday, October 18, and became the first team to win two Valorant Champions trophies. Chilean captain Roberto “erde” Lobos was named tournament MVP, and the title is worth $1,000,000 in prize money.
The final ended on Sunday evening Shanghai time. Riot’s official VALORANT Esports account posted the 3-1 result soon after, and its trophy-lift photos called LOUD “the first team to win two #VALORANTChampions trophies.” LOUD’s first title came at Champions 2022 in Istanbul, where they beat OpTic Gaming.
The Champions trophy sits on stage during LOUD's grand final against Team Vitality at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Image: Riot Games
Table of Contents
Valorant Champions 2026 grand final: map scores
Map scores are from the VLR.gg match page:
| Map | Picked by | Score (LOUD-Vitality) | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Summit | LOUD | 13-11 | LOUD |
| 2. Lotus | Vitality | 8-13 | Vitality |
| 3. Sunset | LOUD | 13-5 | LOUD |
| 4. Haven | Vitality | 13-10 | LOUD |
| 5. Abyss | Decider | Not played | – |
The opening map set the tone. LOUD trailed 3-9 at half-time on their own Summit pick, then took 10 of the last 12 rounds to win it 13-11. Vitality answered with a clean 13-8 on Lotus. On Sunset, Enzo “tkzin” Zimiani went 26-10 on Neon as LOUD gave up only five rounds. Haven was the tightest map after the opener, and LOUD closed it 13-10 to finish the series.
Who is in LOUD’s winning roster?
- erde (captain, tournament MVP)
- tkzin
- lukxo
- Darker
- DaviH
- Head coach: Romanilly
Riot said before the event that the MVP would be picked by broadcast talent, co-streamers and media. The VALORANT Esports account confirmed erde right after the trophy lift. In a post on X after the final, erde dedicated the title to his late mother.
Valorant Champions 2026 prize money
Riot’s event ruleset for Champions Shanghai sets a $2.25 million prize pool across 16 teams:
- 1st, LOUD: $1,000,000
- 2nd, Team Vitality: $400,000
- 3rd, 100 Thieves: $250,000
- 4th, G2 Esports: $130,000
Riot's official result card for the grand final: LOUD 3-1 Team Vitality. Image: Riot Games
How LOUD and Vitality reached the final
LOUD qualified as runners-up of VCT Americas Stage 2. Their only series loss in Shanghai was a 0-2 defeat to Vitality in the group stage. In the playoffs they beat Paper Rex 2-0, NRG 2-1 and then Vitality 2-1 in the upper final on October 16, which sent them straight to the grand final.
Vitality got to Champions through EMEA’s championship points. Their roster includes Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev, Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov, captain Jarkko “Jamppi” Pesonen, Ștefan “Sayonara” Mîtcu and PROFEK. They beat Global Esports, LOUD, Nongshim RedForce and G2 on the way to the upper final. After losing to LOUD, they came back through the lower bracket and beat 100 Thieves 3-1 on October 17 to set up the rematch.
It was a hard weekend for the organization away from the stage, too. On the day of the lower final, Vitality’s V.Hive venue in Paris was looted during nationwide protests in France. The club had been hosting Champions watch parties there.
What else happened at the Champions Shanghai final?
Riot used the grand final broadcast to show off Valorant’s next agent. The cinematic for Hush, a telekinetic Duelist from China, premiered on the broadcast shortly before the grand final. Champions 2026 ran from September 24 to October 18. The group stage and early playoffs were at the Jing’an Sports Center, and the final four teams then moved to the Mercedes-Benz Arena for finals weekend.
What’s next
Champions Shanghai was the last event of the 2026 VCT season, and the circuit opens up next year. Riot says the 2027 Kickoff events in the Americas, EMEA and Pacific will each have 12 teams: 8 partner teams and 4 that come through Open Qualifiers starting in November. LOUD go into that season as the only two-time world champions in Valorant history. For the rest of today’s gaming news, see our live updates page.
Sources: VALORANT Esports on X, VLR.gg, valorantesports.com, Riot Games (Champions Shanghai ruleset), Liquipedia, Insider Gaming.
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Featured image: Riot Games
