Valorant Champions Shanghai kicks off today: Malaysian star d4v41 and Paper Rex open against Team Liquid
The last franchise-era Valorant Champions starts in Shanghai today, and Paper Rex, with Malaysia's d4v41, play the very first match.
Valorant's biggest event of the year starts today (Thursday, 24 September). Sixteen teams have arrived in Shanghai for Valorant Champions 2026, and Malaysian fans have someone to cheer for straight away. Paper Rex, whose roster includes Malaysian veteran Khalish "d4v41" Rusyaidee, play Team Liquid in the opening match of Group C.
The first game, and when to watch it
VLR.gg's schedule has Team Liquid vs Paper Rex at 5:00am EDT, which works out to about 5pm Malaysia time. It's a best-of-three. TYLOO vs G2 Esports comes next in the same group. On Friday (25 September) Nongshim RedForce meet defending champions NRG, followed by Karmine Corp against Xi Lai Gaming. Saturday's matches are Global Esports vs Team Vitality and LOUD vs EDward Gaming.
VLR.gg lists Paper Rex as Jinggg, invy, f0rsakeN, d4v41 and something. Team Liquid will field nAts, trexx, Kicks, kamo and GSR.
How the tournament works
- Dates: 24 September to 18 October 2026
- Venues: The group stage and early playoffs are at Jing'an Sports Center. The top four and grand final move to the 18,000-seat Mercedes-Benz Arena.
- Prize pool: US$2.25 million, with US$1 million for the champion
- Group stage (24 Sept–4 Oct): Four GSL-style double-elimination groups of four. Every group has one team from each league (Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China), so no two teams from the same region meet early. All matches are best-of-three and the top two in each group advance.
- Playoffs (7–18 Oct): An eight-team double-elimination bracket. The lower-bracket final and grand final are best-of-five.
The groups
- Group A: T1, 100 Thieves, JD Gaming, FUT Esports
- Group B: Global Esports, Team Vitality, LOUD, EDward Gaming
- Group C: Paper Rex, TYLOO, G2 Esports, Team Liquid
- Group D: Nongshim RedForce, Karmine Corp, Xi Lai Gaming, NRG
Four Pacific teams
The Pacific league sent four teams to Shanghai. Inven Global names Global Esports as the region's top seed and Nongshim RedForce as runners-up. Paper Rex and T1 complete the group. Insider Gaming's preview picks Nongshim RedForce to win the whole event, which shows how highly the Korean side is rated this year.
Paper Rex are the team most Malaysian fans follow, and d4v41 has been a fixture of their lineup. Group C doesn't look easy. Team Liquid come first, and G2 and China's TYLOO are the other opponents. In a GSL group, the first match decides whether a team needs two more wins or three to reach the playoffs.
The end of the franchise era
This Champions carries extra meaning. Several outlets, Wikipedia's event page among them, describe it as the last Champions of the franchised VCT era. The Valorant Champions Tour is set to go back to open qualifiers in 2027. NRG, the Americas side that won Champions Paris 2025, are defending the title.
For Southeast Asian viewers, the evening start times are convenient. Most group-stage days have two matches, starting around 5pm and 8pm Malaysia time according to VLR.gg's listings. That makes it easy to watch after work or school.
Key takeaways
- Valorant Champions 2026 runs in Shanghai from 24 September to 18 October, with US$2.25 million in prize money.
- Paper Rex, with Malaysian player d4v41, face Team Liquid in today's opening match, about 5pm MYT.
- Four Pacific teams are in the field: Global Esports, Nongshim RedForce, Paper Rex and T1.
- It is billed as the last Champions before VCT returns to open qualifiers in 2027.
FAQ
Who is the defending champion? NRG, who won Valorant Champions Paris in 2025. They start in Group D.
Where is the grand final? At the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai on 18 October.
How many teams leave each group? The top two from each four-team group go through to the eight-team playoffs.
Sources: VLR.gg, Inven Global, Insider Gaming, THESPIKE.GG, Wikipedia