August is a remarkable month for “Valorant” gamers as it’s again that time of the year when Valorant Champions, the worldwide eSports tournament, is held. Valorant Champions 2024 is all over Valorant news, but this story won’t tell you the scoop, as you can read about them around. Rather, we’ll go beyond the news and revisit the success of all the winners from the previous editions, getting to know them a bit better.
The News
On August 1st, the 2024 Valorant Champions began and is running until August 25th. It is the fourth edition of the world championship eSports tournament that Riot Games organizes for the first-person shooter game, with the first edition held in 2021.
The dramatic city of Seoul, South Korea, was chosen to host the crowning event of the tournament’s competitive season.
“It’s my pleasure to officially announce that Champions 2024 will be held here in Seoul, South Korea, from 1st to 24th August,” Jake Sin, the head of Valorant eSports APAC, told Yahoo! News. “This is obviously very exciting news not just for our Korean fans but for everyone in the entire Asia-Pacific region. Korea has long been a hub for eSports, and we wanted to celebrate that by bringing Champions 2024 to their doorstep.”
Sixteen teams from all over the globe – Pacific, China, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), and the Americas – will battle it out to become this edition’s world champions.
Huge prizes also await the winners. Well, every participating team will actually get a prize! There’s $1,000,000 waiting for the champion, and $400,000 and $250,000 for the second and third placers, respectively.
The teams will aim to beat Evil Geniuses, the defending champions.
Get To Know The Past Winners
Getting to know the past winners of the Valorant Champions event is like tracking back the legacy of this remarkable competition.
2021: Acend, The First-Ever Champions
It was in Berlin, Germany, when Acend, a “Valorant” powerhouse from Europe, bagged the title of the first-ever Valorant Champions tournament in 2021, during the height of the pandemic. They defeated Gambit Esports in a thrilling final competition.
That year, the grand finals were a rollercoaster of emotions, filled with domineering performances, intense rallies, and a nail-biting overtime round that would challenge those of boxing matches or even Olympic events.
In a best-of-five series filled with intense adrenaline, Acend prevailed with a 3-2 scoreline, earning them their new status as the world’s best “Valorant” team. They also brought home a whopping $350,000, more than enough to buy them a brand-new car.
Since it took five full matches before a winner was announced, it was like NBA championship matches for the team. One of its members, Mehmet Yağız “cNed” İpek, recounted the experience.
“I thought we’d win Icebox,” said cNed. “But Gambit played better than I expected. They would have won the whole thing if they got one more round, but we were able to go through the overtime and win the map.”
He added that it was a new experience that got him “nervous.”
“Playing in a LAN tournament is another experience altogether,” cNed talked about his emotions during the tournament. “There were times I got nervous, but I had it under control!”
2022: LOUD Chases Victory In Türkiye
The first edition was so successful that a second had to be held. That time, it all happened in Istanbul, Türkiye. The 2022 Valorant Champions tournament featured a breathtaking rivalry between Brazil and North America, comparable to a FIFA match.
It was a year filled with battles and clashes before LOUD from Brazil and OpTic Gaming from North America met on the grand final stage.
It was also a best-of-five series, with LOUD beating OpTic Gaming 3-1, securing them a prize amounting to $300,000 and the prestigious Valorant Champions trophy they will cherish for a lifetime.
LOUD’s rivalry with OpTic Gaming was beyond the Champions event, as they had been going head-to-head even before. Also, the win of LOUD was quite predicted in the eSports gaming community.
That was also LOUD’s sixth win in an international event, but it was a first for Brazil at the Valorant Champions.
That year, LOUD was also awarded the Best eSports Team by The Game Awards and the eSports Team of the Year by The eSports Awards.
2023: Evil Geniuses Conquered The Impossible
In 2023, the organizers thought maybe it was time to bring the Valorant Champions event to the United States, and they did. After disappointing performances in previous eSports competitions, Evil Geniuses of Canada redeemed themselves at Valorant Champions 2023.
Headed by coaches Christine “potter” Chi and Anthony “Zikz” Gray, the team comprised Kelden “Boostio” Pupello, Alexander “jawgemo” Mor, Ethan “Ethan” Arnold, and Corbin “C0M” Lee. There was also Max “Demon1” Mazanov, whose addition was touted as a game-changer, propelling the team further into victory.
The battle was regarded as one of the most improbable runs in the history of eSports, but the Canadian team prevailed against Paper Rex, a Pacific powerhouse. After winning the series 3-1 in that sold-out show and with 1.3 million people watching online, they also won the grand prize of $1,000,000.
“I didn’t really feel it for the beginning of this tournament, how it’s like our home crowd, but definitely in the KIA, this match was completely different than all the other matches before this one,” Pupello recalled their lower bracket match against LOUD. “I heard the U-S-A chants so many times, and just being from the country and fighting for America, for NA, it just feels so fun.”
Aside from bringing pride to North America, Evil Genuises’ win was also historic as Chi coached them, the only woman coaching the 30 teams that competed in the Valorant Champions Tour.
Don’t miss the 2024 Valorant Champions action. You can watch it on Twitch, YouTube, AfreecaTV, Kyedae, Tarik, Mixwell, and FNS, airing in various languages – English, Portuguese, Korean, Turkish, French, and Spanish. Who will win this year’s Valorant Champions? Stay tuned!
