LOUD Beat Team Vitality 3-1 in Shanghai to Win VALORANT Champions 2026, Becoming First Two-Time Champions; 18-Year-Old erde Named MVP

The grand final of VALORANT Champions 2026 was held on October 18 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, where Brazilian team LOUD of the Americas league defeated EMEA's Team Vitality 3-1 to win the world title. According to tournament data site VLR.gg and Dot Esports, the map scores were 13-11 on Summit (LOUD's pick), 13-8 to Vitality on Lotus (Vitality's pick), 13-5 on Sunset (LOUD's pick) and 13-10 on Haven (Vitality's pick), with LOUD closing the series before a deciding fifth map. Riot Games' official VALORANT Champions Tour account crowned LOUD the 2026 world champions moments after the final round.

The title is LOUD's second Champions trophy, after Istanbul in 2022, making the organization the first in VALORANT history to win the event twice — and it did so with an all-new roster formed only in the past few months. LOUD went unbeaten through the Shanghai playoffs, sweeping Paper Rex 2-0 in the quarterfinals, edging defending champions NRG 2-1 in the semifinals and beating Vitality 2-1 in the upper final to book its grand final spot. Vitality returned through the lower bracket, defeating 100 Thieves in the lower final to earn the rematch. Defending champions NRG had earlier been eliminated by 100 Thieves in a 2-0 lower-bracket loss.

Grand final MVP honors went to LOUD's 18-year-old Chilean in-game leader Roberto "erde" Lobos. According to Strafe, erde, at 18 years and eight months, became the youngest MVP in Champions history, breaking the record set by Erick "aspas" Santos, who was 19 years and three months old when he won the award with LOUD in 2022. Erde's mother died shortly before the tournament's opening match, and he became emotional on stage speaking about her after lifting the trophy, saying he had worked toward the MVP stage since he was 15.

Champions 2026 ran from September 24 to October 18, organized by Riot Games, with 16 teams competing for a US$2.25 million prize purse. The group and playoff stages were played at Jing'an Sports Center, with the top-four playoffs and grand final at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. It was the first Champions held in China and the final Champions of the partnership-team era; under Riot Games' announced plans, the VALORANT Champions Tour returns to an open qualifier format in 2027. (GSM, based on reporting by VLR.gg and Dot Esports)

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：本届冠军赛总决赛场馆上海 Mercedes-Benz Arena 外景，摄于2026年10月5日赛事期间。图片来源：Perimeter Chou 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0（维基共享资源）。Photo: The Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, venue of the Champions 2026 grand final, photographed on Oct. 5, 2026, during the tournament. Credit: Perimeter Chou, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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