VALORANT Champions represents the pinnacle of competition in Riot Games' FPS, where World Champions are crowned after a year of competition across the globe. Since its launch in 2021 and over its first four editions, no organization or player has managed to claim the coveted trophy twice. The Pacific region is the only one that has yet to count champions among its ranks, since the victory of China's EDward Gaming in 2024.

2021: Acend

The European club Acend claimed the first-ever VALORANT Champions title in Berlin, the epicenter of Riot Games' operations in Europe. For that tournament, teams didn't qualify through the current four major continental leagues (EMEA, Pacific, Americas, and China) but rather through a more complex qualification system. In the end, it was Acend who emerged victorious in the grand final against Gambit Esports, winning in a five-map thriller.

Despite being the tournament favorite, the five Russian players couldn't close out the series, even after leading 2-1. Acend’s success was largely thanks to Turkish player Mehmet "cNed" Yağız İpek, arguably the best Jett player in the world at the time, who led them to lift the most prestigious trophy in VALORANT. Afterwards, neither team would return to the top level — Gambit was forced out due to the war in Ukraine, and Acend’s roster fell apart during the following transfer window.

2022: LOUD

In 2022, it was the Brazilian squad LOUD who claimed the title of World Champion in Istanbul, after a fiercely contested final against OpTic Gaming. Having finished second and first, respectively, in the same group, both teams met again in two decisive matches for the trophy. While the Americans had defeated LOUD 2-1 early in the competition, the Brazilians struck back with a clean 2-0 victory in the winner bracket final before facing them once more in the grand final.

It took four maps to separate the teams, but it was ultimately Erick "aspas" Santos who led Brazil to victory. In a déjà vu moment, OpTic Gaming disbanded shortly after the final, and LOUD’s roster also collapsed, with two players and their coach departing.

2023: Evil Geniuses

Evil Geniuses won the title at home in 2023 during the Champions held in Los Angeles, the first edition under the current competitive format with its four major regions. As a surprise qualifier from the Americas League, EG and their coach Christine "potter" Chi topped their group, then defeated China’s EDward Gaming — the best Chinese team in the game’s history (who would soon confirm that status). EG went on to take down the Pacific region’s #2 and #1 seeds, DRX and Paper Rex, respectively, before facing the latter again in the grand final.

Much like in 2022, Evil Geniuses, having already won the winner bracket final, triumphed once more in the grand final against the Singaporean team in a largely one-sided match. The victory was largely credited to Max "Demon1" Mazanov and Alexander "jawgemo" Mor, who were standout performers throughout the year. Continuing the apparent curse, Evil Geniuses’ roster imploded after the final due to various issues surrounding the organization.

2024: EDward Gaming

EDward Gaming took home the trophy in 2024 at the Champions in Seoul, defeating Europe’s Team Heretics in a five-map grand final. At the time, EDG was clearly the top Chinese team, having placed first in both the Kickoff and the two Splits within their league. With their star player Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang aka kāngkāng, EDward Gaming advanced from the group stage just behind G2 Esports after a 2-1 loss to them.

From there, they defeated Trace Esports, another Chinese team, followed by Sentinels (Americas #2 seed) and Leviatán (Americas #1 seed) to secure their grand final spot via the winner bracket. Team Heretics, in top form, joined them in the final but couldn't overcome the Chinese powerhouse. A 3-2 victory sealed an exceptional season for EDG.

2025: Rendez-vous on October 5

This year, the tournament will take place in Paris, France, with much of it happening in the Karmine Corp arenas… Who will triumph on French soil?