LOUD are the 2026 VALORANT world champions. The Brazilian organisation beat Team Vitality 3-1 in the VALORANT Champions 2026 Grand Final in Shanghai on Sunday October 18, coming back from 3-9 down on Summit, losing Lotus, then running Vitality off Sunset and closing Haven 13-10. It is LOUD's second Champions title after Istanbul in 2022, which makes them the first organisation in the game's history to win the world championship twice. Their 18-year-old in-game leader erde was named tournament MVP.
This was the third meeting between these two teams in Shanghai. Vitality won the first one 2-0 in the Group B winners' match on September 30. LOUD won the second 2-1 in the Upper Final on October 16, which we covered in our Upper Final recap. Vitality then beat 100 Thieves 3-1 in the Lower Final on Saturday to earn the rematch. Sunday's series settled it.
Every score, veto and stat line below comes from the VLR.gg Grand Final page, the VLR.gg playoffs bracket and prize table, Dot Esports' Grand Final report, the GosuGamers recap, the valolive match page and posts from the official VALORANT Champions Tour account on X. All times are Central Daylight Time (CT, UTC-5).
LOUD 3-1 Vitality: The Short Version
LOUD came in from the upper bracket, which gave them the advantage in the veto. They used it to remove two maps and take first pick. Vitality still had the better start on three of the four maps that were played, and that is what made the series so strange to watch. Vitality led Summit 9-3 at the half, led Lotus 8-4 at the half, and opened Sunset well enough to stay close before it fell apart.
LOUD's answer was second halves. They won the second half of Summit 10-2, the second half of Sunset 6-0 and the second half of Haven 7-4. Vitality only won a second half once, on Lotus, and that was the one map they took.
Map lengths tell the same story. Summit ran 53:35 and Haven 53:26, both long and tight. Sunset finished in 38:38, the shortest map of the series by more than ten minutes.
Map Veto
Per VLR, the veto went like this:
- LOUD ban Ascent
- LOUD ban Split
- LOUD pick Summit
- Vitality pick Lotus
- LOUD pick Sunset
- Vitality pick Haven
- Abyss remains as the decider, and was not needed
Map-by-Map Results
Half scores are read from VLR's round breakdown and match valolive's halftime notes. Top fragger is by kills on that map.
Map 1: Summit, LOUD 13-11 (LOUD pick)
Summit was LOUD's own pick, and Vitality took it apart in the first half. Dot Esports writes that Vitality "anticipated LOUD's every move, whether that's a rotation, a split, or a direct site hit", and the 9-3 half reflects that. Vitality ran a double Duelist setup with Jamppi on Phoenix and Chronicle on Neon, and Jamppi finished as the map's top fragger with 20 kills.
Then LOUD won the second pistol, found the kills they needed to get back to 10-10, and finished 13-11. Dot credits erde's Sage setups for turning Vitality's attack rounds into "a nightmare." Erde ended Summit 19/16/13 with the highest ACS on the server, and Darker on Omen also had 19 kills. Coming back from 3-9 on your own pick in a Grand Final is the kind of map that decides series, and it did.
Map 2: Lotus, Vitality 13-8 (Vitality pick)
LOUD changed their composition for Lotus. lukxo moved from Chamber to Viper and Darker played Vyse, per Dot and valolive. Vitality got the early lead again, 8-4 at the half, though Dot says it was less one-sided than Summit and that LOUD had plenty of individual moments.
On attack, Vitality found a weak spot in LOUD's defense on C site and took the extra rounds they needed for 13-8. Derke on Raze had 21 kills, the most on the map, and Sayonara added 17 on Chamber. tkzin kept LOUD in it with 17 kills on Neon. Series tied 1-1.
Map 3: Sunset, LOUD 13-5 (LOUD pick)
This is where the series turned. Vitality put Jamppi on KAY/O, an agent Dot notes "doesn't get played much" at this level, and Jamppi spent time contesting the opposite site by himself. The first half was close, and LOUD led 7-5.
The second half was not close. LOUD won all six rounds they needed and conceded none. tkzin went 26/10/3 on Neon, per VLR, with an ACS above 380, and Dot calls it an "exceptional performance." Dot also says most rounds came down to small fights, and LOUD won almost all of them. Jamppi finished with 6 kills on KAY/O. LOUD went up 2-1.
Map 4: Haven, LOUD 13-10 (Vitality pick)
Haven was Vitality's pick and their last chance to force Abyss. It was 6-6 at the half. Dot says Vitality held the lead for only one round in the first half, and LOUD converted the bonus round after the second pistol to keep Vitality on the back foot. Vitality won three late rounds to make it 13-10, but tkzin kept finding kills and LOUD closed it out.
erde had his best fragging map here on Omen, with 21 kills and the top ACS on either team, and that matters for his MVP case. Jamppi switched to Yoru and had 18 kills for Vitality.
MVP and Standout Players
Series totals from VLR. First kills and first deaths count the opening duel of each round.
erde, Champions MVP
The official VALORANT Champions Tour account announced erde as the Champions Shanghai MVP after the trophy lift. Dot Esports describes him as an 18-year-old IGL who moved up from Challengers to VCT this season, and says that on top of the calling he was "often near the top of the leaderboard." GosuGamers says he won the award for his leadership and play throughout the tournament.
In the Grand Final he went 66/56/31, the most assists of anyone in the series, and played two different roles: Sage on Summit and Sunset, Omen on Lotus and Haven. His one weak stat was first deaths, 14 across four maps, which is the cost of an IGL taking contact for his team.
tkzin, the series' best fragger
tkzin finished with the most kills in the series at 77/66/19, and he won 18 opening duels, more than anyone else on the server. valolive named him its player of the match. His Sunset map is the one people will clip: 26 kills, 10 deaths, and a second half that Vitality could not answer.
Vitality's side
Sayonara was Vitality's steadiest player over the series at 63/59/20, and Derke had the single best Vitality map with 21 kills on Lotus. Derke also led Vitality in first kills with 14. The problem was the second half of almost every map. Jamppi had a strong Summit and a strong Haven but just 6 kills on Sunset, and PROFEK finished at 48/61/24.
LOUD's Road to the Title
Group and early playoff scores are from our earlier Shanghai coverage, which used VLR's match pages. valolive lists LOUD at 6-1 in series for the event, which matches the table.
The only series LOUD lost all tournament was the first meeting with Vitality, 0-2 on September 30, which included a 17-19 overtime loss on Summit. From there they won six straight series. We covered each step: the Group B opener, the Sept 30 winners' match, the Oct 4 decider against Global Esports, the Paper Rex comeback on Playoffs Day 1, the win over defending champions NRG and the Upper Final.
GosuGamers notes LOUD entered Champions as the Americas' second seed. They were drawn into Group B with Vitality, Global Esports and EDward Gaming, and finished second in the group behind Vitality before going through the whole upper bracket unbeaten.
Vitality's Run to the Grand Final
Vitality reached Champions on Championship Points, according to GosuGamers, and then played like one of the two best teams at the event. They topped Group B, swept G2 in the upper semifinal and beat LOUD once already. After dropping the Upper Final, they beat 100 Thieves 3-1 in Saturday's Lower Final.
A note on that Lower Final score, because some coverage has it wrong: it was 3-1, not 4-1. A best-of-five ends when a team reaches three maps. VALTRAIN, Ensigame and rib.gg all list Vitality 3-1, with 100 Thieves winning Split 13-5 and Vitality taking Summit 13-10, Lotus 13-11 and Ascent 13-9.
Vitality leave with $400,000 for second place. The official VCT account thanked them for a run that "was nothing short of incredible."
Final Standings and Prize Money
The prize table is VLR's. The total pool was $2,250,000. Three of the top four teams came from the Americas, and Vitality were the only EMEA team in the final four.
Hush, the New Agent Revealed at the Final
Before the Grand Final started, Riot showed the cinematic trailer for Hush, VALORANT's next agent. Here is what is confirmed by Riot's reveal and Dot Esports' report:
- Role: Duelist.
- Origin: Guangdong, China.
- Release: Dot Esports and other reveal coverage put her arrival on October 27. Some outlets list October 28 for regions outside the Americas, so check the patch notes in your region.
- Agent count: she is reported as the 30th playable agent.
- What the trailer shows: telekinesis, including pulling a Ghost out of an enemy's hand, a flash, a pull similar to Astra's Gravity Well, a dash to a thrown object, and an anti-gravity zone that lifts enemies. Dot expects that last one to be her ultimate.
If Hush has you planning a return to ranked once she launches, AccountShark's VALORANT listings are an option for starting on an account that already has your main agents unlocked.
The Last Champions of the Partnership Era
Dot Esports calls this the last Champions of its kind. The point is that the VCT changes a lot in 2027. Riot's own posts on valorantesports.com, The New VALORANT Champions Tour and No Guaranteed Paths: Inside the New VCT 2027, lay out the main changes:
- Cups replace regular season play. Riot says the VCT is moving "away from long-form league play" to a tournament model.
- Open Qualifiers for every global event. The path to every Masters and Champions starts with Open Qualifiers that any team can enter.
- Kickoff is 12 teams in Americas, Pacific and EMEA: 8 partner teams and 4 from Open Qualifiers. The top three at each Kickoff go to Masters.
- Partners keep direct entry to Kickoff only. After that, they have to earn their spot in each Cup like everyone else.
- Fixed payouts for open teams: $100,000 for qualifying to a Kickoff or Cup, $200,000 for Masters and $400,000 for Champions.
- Roster continuity: a team that keeps at least three of its five players keeps its points and progress.
- A new two-year partnership cycle starts with the 2027 season.
What Comes Next
The 2026 VCT season is done. Here is what is on the calendar that we know about:
- Hush arrives around October 27.
- 2027 qualifying and Kickoff details are due from Riot. The Open Qualifier paths vary by region and Riot says specific details will be shared later.
- Roster moves usually start soon after Champions. Nothing has been announced for LOUD or Vitality as of this morning, and we will not guess.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won VALORANT Champions 2026?
LOUD won VALORANT Champions 2026, beating Team Vitality 3-1 in the Grand Final in Shanghai on October 18, 2026. The maps were Summit 13-11 LOUD, Lotus 13-8 Vitality, Sunset 13-5 LOUD and Haven 13-10 LOUD.
Who was the VALORANT Champions 2026 MVP?
erde, LOUD's in-game leader, was named Champions Shanghai MVP by the official VALORANT Champions Tour account. Dot Esports describes him as an 18-year-old who moved up from Challengers to VCT this season. He went 66/56/31 in the Grand Final.
Have LOUD won Champions before?
Yes. LOUD won VALORANT Champions 2022 in Istanbul. Their 2026 win makes them the first organisation to win the VALORANT world championship twice.
How much did LOUD win at Champions 2026?
LOUD won $1,000,000 from the $2,250,000 prize pool, according to VLR's prize table. Vitality took $400,000 for second, 100 Thieves $250,000 for third and G2 Esports $130,000 for fourth.
What time was the VALORANT Champions 2026 Grand Final in CT?
VLR listed the Grand Final at 8:00 AM CEST on October 18, which is 1:00 AM CT. The Hush reveal and opening ceremony came first, and the official VCT account announced LOUD as champions at about 5:31 AM CT.
What was the map veto in the Champions 2026 Grand Final?
LOUD banned Ascent and Split, LOUD picked Summit, Vitality picked Lotus, LOUD picked Sunset, Vitality picked Haven, and Abyss was left as the decider. Abyss was not played because LOUD won in four maps.
Who did Vitality beat to reach the Grand Final?
Vitality beat 100 Thieves 3-1 in the Lower Final on October 17. 100 Thieves won Split 13-5, then Vitality won Summit 13-10, Lotus 13-11 and Ascent 13-9. Before that, Vitality had lost the Upper Final 1-2 to LOUD.
Who is Hush in VALORANT?
Hush is VALORANT's next agent, a Duelist from Guangdong, China, revealed with a cinematic trailer before the Champions 2026 Grand Final. Reveal coverage from Dot Esports puts her release on October 27. Her trailer shows telekinesis, a flash, a pull and an anti-gravity zone, and Riot is expected to share full gameplay details closer to launch.
Is this the last VALORANT Champions?
No. Champions continues in 2027, but the VCT structure around it changes. Riot is replacing league play with Cups, opening qualification to every Masters and Champions through Open Qualifiers, and limiting partner teams' direct entry to Kickoff. Dot Esports calls Shanghai the last Champions of the current format.
How did LOUD do at Champions 2026 overall?
LOUD went 6-1 in series. Their only loss was 0-2 to Vitality in the Group B winners' match. After that they beat Global Esports, Paper Rex, NRG and Vitality twice to win the title.
Buy or sell Valorant accounts?
Browse available Valorant accounts from screened sellers.
