The Los Angeles arena for Valorant Champions 2023 has already been ignited by fiery clashes in the tournament’s group stages, but things are only going to heat up further from here. Today marks the beginning of the playoff stage of the tournament, with teams like Fnatic, Paper Rex, DRX, and more all gunning for ultimate glory.
Whether you’re new to Valorant esports or just want a reminder of how things stand, we’ve put together a quick Valorant Champions 2023 playoffs guide to break down the remaining teams and matches to come as we blast satchel our way into the business end of the competition.
What is Valorant Champions 2023?
© Riot
Taking place in Los Angeles, USA, Valorant Champions 2023 is the culmination of the game’s esports year. It sees the top qualifying teams from regions across the globe go head to head as they aim to establish themselves as the dominant force in Riot’s tactical FPS. Oh, and there’s that little matter of a $2.25m USD prize pool, too.
2023 marks a particularly exciting year for Valorant Champions as it’s the first in which Chinese teams have been able to compete. Sides like EDward Gaming have already earned plenty of fan support thanks to their antics and upsets at Masters Tokyo, and they'll be looking to make an even bigger impression on the greater stage.
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Valorant Champions 2023 playoffs format explained
© Riot
The group stages of the tournament are already complete, leaving just the Valorant Champions 2023 playoffs to come. Eight teams remain in the competition: Fnatic, Loud, Paper Rex, FUT Esports, DRX, Bilibili Gaming, Evil Geniuses, and EDward Gaming.
The remaining sides will compete in a double-elimination bracket for their place in the Grand Final. All matches use a best-of-three format except for the Lower Bracket Final and Grand Final, both of which are best of five. The winner of the Upper Bracket Final gains one extra map ban for the Grand Final.
The first run of playoff matches will take place from August 16th to 20th. The final three days will then frun from August 24th until the Grand Final on Saturday, August 26th.
At the start of the playoffs, the bracket (via Liquidpedia) is as follows:
Valorant Champions 2023 playoffs teams
Finally, here are the remaining Valorant Champions 2023 teams. We’ve included information on how they got to their current place in the tournament and what to expect from them going forward.
Fnatic (FNC)
- Boaster
- Derke
- Alfajer
- Leo
- Chronicle
First opponent: Loud
Coming into Champions hot off their Valorant Masters Tokyo victory, EMEA top dogs Fnatic are the team to beat. They’re the current favorites to win the title, and fan favorites for many too thanks to the entertaining team antics they're known for during walkouts and victory celebrations. They dominated their group with a +31 round difference, but expect their first playoff match to prove a sterner test. They’ll be taking on the Brazilian side Loud, who they missed out on dueling during Masters Tokyo.
Loud
- aspas
- Less
- Saadhak
- cauanzin
- tuyz
First opponent: Fnatic
The Brazilian and Argentian roster of Loud took home the Valorant Champions 2022 trophy, securing their place in history. But following a few roster adjustments, this year has seen them in somewhat of a fall from grace. The team crashed out of Masters Tokyo, but Champions may yet offer an olive branch for redemption. Loud qualified second in their group, only losing a three-match series to DRX.
Paper Rex (PRX)
- mindfreak
- f0rsakeN
- d4v41
- Jinggg
- Something
First opponent: FUT Esports
Pacific League champions Paper Rex have repeatedly brushed the edge of glory only to fall short against the best of the best. At Masters Tokyo, visa issues saw them forced to play with a substitute. Despite this, they shocked onlookers and opponents alike by besting teams like DRX, EDG and NRG to earn a more than respectable third place finish. With their full roster in place for Valorant Champions 2023, that long-sought trophy will feel closer than ever.
FUT Esports (FUT)
- mojj
- qRaxs
- qw1
- MrFaliN
- ATA KAPTAN
First opponent: PRX
Looking to mark Turkey’s place on the Valorant esports map, FUT Esports have consistently beaten all opposition within their country’s qualifiers. That regional success has yet to transfer to the international stage, however. FUT have fallen out early from 2023’s major tournaments. Perhaps Champions will finally be their chance to shine.
DRX
- stax
- Rb
- BuZz
- MaKo
- Zest
First opponent: BLG
The champions of South Korea came second in this year’s Pacific League. They were only pipped to the top spot through a loss in a grueling five-match series against Paper Rex. They’re a side that feels capable of beating any other team in the world, but they’ve never quite lived up to their talent. DRX came in third at Valorant Champions 2022, and this year will be their chance to push even higher.
Bilibili Gaming (BLG)
- Biank
- whzy
- rin
- Knight
- yosemite
First opponent: DRX
With Valorant competition now open to China, several new teams have stepped up to throw their weight around on an international level. Bilibili Gaming have played second fiddle to EDG thus far, but confident victories over NRG and Zeta in the group stages will offer hope that they can outdo their regional rivals.
Evil Geniuses (EG)
- Boostio
- Ethan
- jawgemo
- C0M
- Demon1
First opponent: EDG
North America’s star side will be hungry for revenge after going 0:3 against Fnatic in the Masters Tokyo grand final. With extreme talent across the breadth of their roster, EG are definitely one of the top seeds for the title. They comfortably cleaned up their group stage bracket and will no doubt be itching for more action as the playoffs commence.
EDward Gaming (EDG)
- Haodong
- CHICHOO
- nobody
- ZmjjKK
- Smoggy
First opponent: EG
The hottest new name in Valorant, EDG have already won over community hearts by demonstrating some seriously impressive Operator skills and more than a bit of attitude too at Masters Tokyo. The group stage saw them qualify second to Paper Rex, so they’ll need to step up their game to come through their first playoffs match. But then again, this team has already proven its capability to deliver upsets.
That’s everything you need to know for the Valorant Champions 2023 playoffs. Which team are you supporting?
