Valorant Champions 2022 is the big dance for Riot’s hit FPS title. Sixteen teams have traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, for a chance at claiming the biggest trophy of the year, including a more than $1 million prize pool. Here’s what you need to know, including how to watch.
LOUD come out on top in this rematch with a 3-1 victory
Despite game 3 going into overtime, game 4 was a decisive win from LOUD
DRX place third at Champions Istanbul after falling 2-3 to OpTic, just narrowly missing the Grand Final
There is no bigger title in Valorant than Valorant Champions. It’s what pros around the world work towards for an entire year. With 2022 bringing plenty of upsets and new faces to the forefront of the title, LOUD managed to make the Upper Bracket run all the way to a victory in the Grand Finals.
Despite OpTic’s best efforts and a fairly close series up until game 4, LOUD really stepped things up on the last map of the series and cemented themselves as the best Valorant team in the world.
OpTic took the championship title in Reykjavík over LOUD, making this a triumphant victory for the Brazillian team, and a rematch for them in more ways than one. You can find the full schedule and results for the event down below.
Valorant Champions 2022 took place from August 31, 2022 to September 18, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey as the title continues its tour around Europe. It was much earlier in the year than Valorant Champions 2021 — and it will make way for the new partnership model that will come into place in 2023.With 16 teams in attendance, it began with four groups of four competing GSL-style for eight playoff spots before a double-elimination bracket decided it all.
All matches were played in a best-of-three format, with the exception of the lower bracket final and the grand final, which were best-of-five affairs.
Masters Reykjavik champions OpTic Gaming and Masters Copenhagen winners FunPlus Phoenix were two of the first representatives already confirmed. Other regional powerhouses, like LOUD (Brazil), DRX (Korea), Paper Rex (APAC), and XERXIA (APAC) also locked in their spots early.
Lance Skundrich/Riot GamesOpTic Gaming are one of NA’s three representatives at Champions 2022
In North America, 100 Thieves locked in the final spot in Istanbul after beating The Guard in the grand final of the region’s last-chance qualifier.
Perhaps the most surprising name on the list of participants is EDward Gaming. This was the first international appearance in Valorant from a Chinese team.
You can find the full list of teams that qualified for Valorant Champions 2022 below.
Wojciech Wandzel for Riot Games
Lance Skundrich/Riot Games