Key information
On Sunday 4 October, LOUD and T1 claimed the final two playoff positions at VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026 following 2-0 victories against Global Esports and FUT Esports respectively. According to Sheep Esports, LOUD defeated Global Esports 13-8 on Split and 13-9 on Sunset. Meanwhile, T1 swept FUT Esports with identical 13-10 scorelines on Sunset and Ascent, featuring standout play from Ham “iZu” Woo-ju while in-game leader Roberto “erde” Lobos guided LOUD.
The conclusion of the group stage established an eight-team playoff bracket consisting of four squads from the Americas, three from Pacific, and one from EMEA. The Americas representatives are 100 Thieves, NRG, G2 Esports, and LOUD. The Pacific region is represented by Paper Rex, Nongshim RedForce, and T1, alongside EMEA’s Team Vitality. This milestone marks T1’s first-ever top-eight finish at Champions in their third appearance at the tournament.
The opening round of the knockout phase features LOUD playing against Paper Rex, while T1 goes head-to-head with NRG. Teams that lose these initial series will transition to the lower bracket rather than facing immediate elimination, preserving their path toward the Champions title.
