LOUD beat Team Vitality 3-1 in the VALORANT Champions 2026 grand final in Shanghai on October 18, becoming the first team in the game’s esports history to win Champions twice. The Brazilian organization collected $1 million in prize money, and its roster averaged 20 years and five months old, making it the youngest lineup to win the tournament.
The final was a rematch after Vitality handed LOUD its only tournament loss, a 2-0 group-stage result. LOUD had reached the final four with a 2-1 upper-bracket win over NRG.
LOUD had to recover from a 3-9 deficit on Summit before taking the map 13-11 in overtime. Vitality answered with a 13-8 win on Lotus, then took the first four rounds on Sunset.
LOUD seized control on Sunset, stringing together 11 rounds to win 13-5. Enzo ‘tkzin’ Zimiani recorded a 26/10/3 KDA on the map, putting LOUD one win from the trophy.
ONE MAP AWAY FROM BEING CROWNED WORLD CHAMPIONS! #VALORANTChampions pic.twitter.com/ZkmeZIpvLY
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) October 18, 2026
Vitality mounted a comeback attempt on Haven, but LOUD closed the series with a 13-10 win. In-game leader Roberto ‘erde’ Lobos, 18, posted 255 ACS on the map and earned Champions 2026 MVP for his performances across Summit, Sunset, and Haven.
After the final, erde dedicated the victory to his mother, who had died days earlier. He shared a tribute on X.
Descansa en paz mami te lo mereces🥰 https://t.co/rODUkAH2UF
— LOUD erde (@erdeatovich) October 18, 2026
The final drew 1.49 million peak viewers
Esports Charts put the grand final at 1.49 million peak viewers, around 1.21% above the figure for Champions 2025. Champions Shanghai ranked third among VALORANT events by peak audience. Masters Madrid is the only VALORANT event to have passed 1.6 million.
Paper Rex versus LOUD in the playoffs upper-bracket quarterfinals was Champions 2026’s next-highest-viewed match, with nearly 886,000 peak viewers. No other match at the tournament reached one million. The Portuguese-language peak audience rose 89.2% year over year, while the number of unique channels broadcasting the last two Champions events increased by around 50.
The final also closed the current VCT format. Riot plans a more open 2027 ecosystem with more tournaments, while partner teams remain in the circuit. Open Qualifiers are due to begin in November.
Which moment defined the final for you, LOUD’s Summit recovery or its 11-round run on Sunset? As VALORANT moves toward its open 2027 circuit, stay connected through X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
Valorant
Developed by Riot Games
Valorant is a character-based 5v5 tactical shooter set on the global stage. Outwit, outplay, and outshine your competition with tactical abilities, precise gunplay, and adaptive teamwork.
- Genre Shooter, Tactical
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5
- Perspective First person
- Modes Multiplayer
- Release June 2, 2020
- Publisher Riot Games
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Age Rating
