Valorant Champions was the first world championship for Riot Game’s FPS hit. Sixteen teams from across the globe duked it out for the coveted prize and the title of first Valorant world champion.
- Gambit fall just short, Acend become first-ever Valorant world champs
- The CIS giants could not repeat their VCT Stage 3 Masters success
Valorant Champions was the crown jewel of VCT 2021. Every event — from Challengers to Masters Iceland and Masters Berlin — led to the million-dollar finale.
Here’s what you need to know about Valorant Champions 2021, the end-of-the-year tournament with 16 of the best teams in the world.
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Valorant Champions 2021: Recap
Champions 2021 started on December 1, with action happening up until the Grand Finals on December 12. Eventual champions Acend cruised through the Group Stage, before facing off against Team Secret in the Quarterfinals.
They would take down Secret and Liquid 2-0 each, but the Grand Final would be one that will go down in Valorant history. Acend looked dominant after Map 1, but Gambit would charge right back and take the next two maps without much of a fight.
Down 2-1 and their backs against the wall, Acend would come back with a vengeance. After barely surviving Icebox, they would finish things off with a convincing win on Split to take home the Valorant Champions 2021 crown, and the $350,000 grand prize.
Valorant Champions 2021 details: dates, format, location
Valorant Champions started on December 1 and finished on December 12. Champions was originally rumored to take place in Los Angeles, but Riot decided to host the event in Berlin, the same city that staged the VCT Stage 3 Masters, conflicting with their plan to host each of their international events in a different region.
Riot’s reasoning for hosting Champions in Berlin is due to the current European travel policies being friendlier and making it easier for all teams to attend. Sixteen teams converged to fight for the title of Valorant’s first true world champion.
Acend took down Gambit to become 2021 Valorant World Champions.Valorant Champions kicked off with a double-elimination group stage, with eight teams advancing to the single-elimination knockout stage.
Valorant Champions 2021: final standings
| Placement | Team | Prize Money (USD) |
| 1 | Acend | $350,000 |
| 2 | Gambit | $150,000 |
| 3-4 | KRU Esports | $90,000 |
| Team Liquid |
| 5-8 | Fnatic | $40,000 |
| X10 CRIT |
| Cloud9 Blue |
| Team Secret |
| 9-12 | Team Envy | $20,000 |
| Team Vikings |
| Vision Strikers |
| Sentinels |
| 13-16 | FURIA Esports | $20,000 |
| Crazy Raccoon |
| FULL SENSE |
| Vivo Keyd |
Valorant Champions 2021: schedule & results
Knockout Stage
Day 1: December 8
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Quarterfinals | Acend 2-0 Team Secret | 9AM | 12PM | 5PM |
| Liquid 2-0 Cloud9 Blue | 12PM | 3PM | 8PM |
Day 2: December 9
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Quarterfinals | Gambit 2-1 X10 CRIT | 9AM | 12PM | 5PM |
| Fnatic 1-2 KRU Esports | 12PM | 3PM | 8PM |
Day 3: December 11
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Semifinals | Acend 2-0 Team Liquid | 9AM | 12PM | 5PM |
| Gambit 2-1 KRU Esports | 12PM | 3PM | 8PM |
Day 4: December 12
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Grand Final | Acend 3-2 Gambit | 9AM | 12PM | 5PM |
Group Stage
Day 1: December 1
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Group D Opening Match | Vision Strikers 2–0 FULL SENSE | 6AM | 9AM | 2PM |
| Group C Opening Match | Team Vikings 2–0 Crazy Raccoon | 9AM | 12PM | 5PM |
| Group D Opening Match | Fnatic 2–1 Cloud9 Blue | 12PM | 3PM | 8PM |
Day 2: December 2
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Group C Opening Match | Gambit 2-1 Team Secret | 6AM | 9AM | 2PM |
| Group B Opening Match | Sentinels 2-1 FURIA | 9AM | 12PM | 5PM |
| Group B Opening Match | KRU Esports 0-2 Liquid | 12PM | 3PM | 8PM |
Day 3: December 3
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Group A Opening Match | Acend 2-1 Vivo Keyd | 6AM | 9AM | 2PM |
| Group A Opening Match | Vision Strikers 1-2 Fnatic | 9AM | 12PM | 5PM |
| Group D Winners Match | Envy 2-0 X10 CRIT | 12PM | 3PM | 8PM |
Day 4: December 4
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Group B Winners Match | Team Vikings 1-2 Gambit | 6AM | 9AM | 2PM |
| Group A Winners Match (postponed) | Acend 2-0 Envy | 9AM | 12PM | 5PM |
| Group B Winners Match | Liquid 2-1 Sentinels | 12PM | 3PM | 8PM |
Day 5: December 5
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Group C Losers Match | Crazy Raccoon 0-2 Team Secret | 6AM | 9AM | 2PM |
| Group B Losers Match | FURIA 1-2 KRU Esports | 9AM | 12PM | 5PM |
| Group D Losers Match | Cloud9 Blue 2-1 FULL SENSE | 12PM | 3PM | 8PM |
Day 6: December 6
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Group A Winners Match | Acend 2-0 Envy | 6AM | 9AM | 2PM |
| Group A Losers Match | Vivo Keyd 0-2 X10 CRIT | 9AM | 12PM | 5PM |
| Group B Elimination Match | Sentinels 1-2 KRU Esports | 12PM | 3PM | 8PM |
Day 7: December 7
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Group D Elimination Match | Vision Strikers 1-2 Cloud9 Blue | 6AM | 9AM | 2PM |
| Group C Elimination Match | Team Vikings 0–2 Team Secret | 9AM | 12PM | 5PM |
| Group A Elimination Match | Envy 1-2 X10 CRIT
| 12PM | 3PM | 8PM |
Group A
| Placement | Team | Record |
| 1 | Acend | 2-0 |
| 2 | X10 CRIT | 2-1 |
| 3 | Team Envy | 1-2 |
| 4 | Vivo Keyd | 0-2 |
Group B
| Placement | Team | Record |
| 1 | Team Liquid | 2-0 |
| 2 | KRÜ Esports | 2-1 |
| 3 | Sentinels | 1-2 |
| 4 | FURIA Esports | 0-2 |
Group C
| Placement | Team | Record |
| 1 | Gambit Esports | 2-0 |
| 2 | Team Secret | 2-1 |
| 3 | Team Vikings | 1-2 |
| 4 | Crazy Raccoon | 0-2 |
Group D
| Placement | Team | Record |
| 1 | Fnatic | 2-0 |
| 2 | Cloud9 Blue | 2-1 |
| 3 | Vision Strikers | 1-2 |
| 4 | FULL SENSE | 0-2 |
Participating teams at Valorant Champions 2021
| Team | Qualified From | Players |
| Gambit Esports | Masters Berlin | nAts, Redgar, Sheydos, d3ffo, Chronicle |
| Sentinels | NA Circuit Points | ShahZaM, dapr, TenZ, zombs, SicK |
| Team Envy | NA Circuit Points | FNS, yay, Victor, crashies, Marved |
| Acend | EMEA Circuit Points | cNed, BONECOLD, Kiles, starxo,zeek |
| Fnatic | EMEA Circuit Points | Boaster, Mistic, Derke, Magnum, Doma |
| KRÜ Esports | LATAM Circuit Points | keznit, Klaus, Mazino, NagZ, delz1k |
| Team Vikings | BR Circuit Points | Sacy, frz, sutecas, gtnziN, Saadhak |
| Keyd Stars | BR Circuit Points | v1xen, mwzera, murizzz, heat, jhoW |
| Vision Strikers | KR Circuit Points | k1Ng, BuZz, MaKo, stax, Rb |
| Crazy Raccoon | JP Circuit Points | Bazzi, ade, Fisker, neth, Munchkin |
| X10 CRIT | SEA Circuit Points | Crws, foxz, Patiphan, sScary, sushiboys |
| Team Secret | SEA Circuit Points | witz, BORKUM, JessieVash, DubsteP, Dispenser |
| Cloud9 Blue | NA LCQ | mitch, vanity, leaf, xeta, Xeppaa |
| Team Liquid | EMEA LCQ | ScreaM, Jamppi, Nivera, L1NK, ScreaM |
| FURIA | SA LCQ | xand, mazin, qck, Nozwerr, Khalil |
| FULL SENSE | APAC LCQ | ChAlalala, LAMMYSNAX, PTC, SuperBusS, JohnOlsen |
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