Chinese Persistence: EDG is the World Champion in Valorant

Anyone can claim the trophy: EDward Gaming is the Valorant World Champion.
Colin Young Wolf/Riot Games

Bookmakers and experts had Gen.G, Fnatic and Leviatán as favourites ahead of the Valorant champions in South Korea – and EDward Gaming was given little chance of winning the world title. However, the Chinese made the most of it: they had to overcome a setback in the group stage with a 2:1 defeat to G2 Esports, but still secured their place in the second-place match against last year’s finalists Paper Rex. (2:1).

A 2-0 win over Trace Esports meant they stayed in the top bracket – and then the matches got tougher again. Against Sentinels and Leviatán, EDward Gaming had to overcome a deficit after the first map. The Chinese showed great qualities of comeback and perseverance in the matches. These qualities took them to the Grand Final, where the Spanish Heretics were waiting on Sunday.

Next deficit, next return

EDward Gaming again trailed early on in Haven (6:13). With strong performances in Sunset (13:4) and Lotus (13:9), the Chinese turned the game in their favor temporarily before Heretics responded again in Bind (11:13) and forced a fifth playoff. However, EDG did not allow themselves to be disturbed and were already leading 8:4 in the first half. In the end it was 13:9 and the World Championship title.

The Heretics team was sad about the final defeat.
Colin Young Wolf/Riot Games

The consistency EDG showed over the course of Valorant Champions was impressive – especially in light of the previous season: in China they won both stages of the newly established league in 2024, and internationally they won Masters in Madrid and Shanghai but there was little to be gained.

Tournament MVP sets new record

Gen.G, on the other hand, started as the favorites, having reached the finals of all five major tournaments this year so far – including two Masters. The Korean-American team had to give up on Valorant champions in the group stage. Things went a little better for Europeans Fnatic, whose World Cup dreams were shattered in the lower bracket quarterfinals against Sentinels (1:2).

In the end, the EDward Gaming pros also benefited from the mistakes made by the fierce competition, as they did not have to compete against Gen.G or Fnatic during the tournament. Zheng ‘ZmjjKK’ Yongkang became the MVP of the World Championship, setting a new record with 111 kills in the best-of-5 series. This victory not only secured him and his teammates the trophy, but also a $1 million prize money – as well as a place in the esports history books.