Main Storylines to watch at VALORANT Champions 2025

The final event of the VCT calendar is here, and VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Valorant Champions promises to be a defining chapter in the game’s competitive history. With the biggest prize of the year on the line, every team arrives with its own narrative, stakes, and ambitions. Whether it’s defending titles, chasing redemption, or cementing a region’s dominance, the storylines this year make Champions 2025 one of the most anticipated editions yet.

EDward Gaming’s Title Defense

All eyes will be on EDward Gaming as they enter this tournament with the weight of being defending Champions. The Chinese squad’s triumph at VCT 2024 - Champions 2024 shattered expectations and marked a historic milestone for VCT CN. Now, EDG face the challenge of proving that their victory was not a fluke.

Since their triumph at Champions 2024, both the meta and the international landscape have shifted, leaving EDG struggling to keep pace. Once hailed as the best team in the world, EDG’s 2025 season has been far from convincing, with disappointing international results and even a failure to qualify for VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Toronto 2025, a major setback for the defending champions. As they return to the biggest stage, their challenge is no longer just about defending a crown, but proving they can adapt and reclaim their place among the game’s elite.

Paper Rex’s Best Shot Since 2023

For Paper Rex, Champions 2025 feels like a critical juncture. Since their breakout run in 2023, where they redefined the global meta with hyper-aggressive play and fearless innovation, the Pacific giants have had mixed fortunes. Close calls and heartbreaking exits have denied them a trophy that many believe their legacy deserves.

With their first-ever international trophy secured at VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Toronto 2025 and another triumph at VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Pacific Stage 2, Paper Rex head into Champions 2025 in the best form they’ve shown in the past two years. Riding this wave of momentum, PRX are now primed to chase the most coveted prize – the Champions trophy.

A victory here would also place their roster in rarefied company, joining Gustavo "Sacy" Rossi as the only players to have won both a Masters and Champions title, while also making PRX the only team in VALORANT history to capture the full trifecta: a regional title, a Masters and Champions.

Fnatic Eyeing the Quadruple Crown

Similar to Paper Rex, Fnatic stand on the verge of etching their names permanently into VALORANT history. A win here would mean that they would be the only team in VALORANT history to win all four tiers of tournaments – a regional title, LOCK//IN, a Masters, and Champions. With victories in VCT EMEA, VCT 2023 - LOCK//IN, VCT 2023 - Masters Tokyo, and now potentially Champions, Fnatic would secure every trophy available in the competitive ecosystem.

This accomplishment would be truly unique, as LOCK//IN was a one-time event in 2023, officially regarded by Riot Games as distinct from the other international titles. No other team can ever replicate this feat, making a Champions 2025 victory not just a crowning moment, but the ultimate milestone in VALORANT history.

G2’s Maiden International Trophy

Long considered the most successful Ascension roster since their promotion to VCT Americas in 2024, G2 Esports have used this season to prove why. They made history by becoming the only team to win three consecutive VCT Americas titles, a regional dominance that has cemented them as NA’s standard-setting powerhouse.

However, their international runs have often left more to be desired. Their best finish came at VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Bangkok 2025, where they were widely touted as favorites, only to fall short in the grand final against T1 in one of the biggest upsets of the year. That loss spotlighted a gap between domestic consistency and converting on the global stage.

Now, Champions 2025 offers G2 yet another chance to finally win it all. Coming into Paris hot off a VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Americas Stage 2 title, they stand as one of the top contenders - second only to Paper Rex in the eyes of many analysts. This stage is a chance for G2 to not just reinforce their regional dominance, but to take the ultimate step forward and prove themselves as true international giants.

DRG and XLG: A Battle to Stay Relevant

While some teams will be chasing trophies, Dragon Ranger Gaming and XLG Esports arrive at Champions 2025 with their very futures in the partnered VCT ecosystem on the line. Now that both squads have qualified for Champions, their final placement here will directly determine their fate in VCT China. The higher-finishing team will secure its slot for another year, while the lower-placed side will be relegated back to Ascension, forced to fight once more for the right to return.

This survival storyline adds immense weight to every map they play. Their matches may not decide the world champion, but they will undoubtedly be among the most tense of the tournament. For DRG and XLG, Champions 2025 is not just about competing on the international stage – it’s about preserving their organizations’ spot in the top tier and potentially shaping the trajectory of their players’ careers.

RRQ’s Second Attempt at Glory

Rex Regum Qeon represent one of the most remarkable resurgence stories in VALORANT, rising from relative obscurity in 2024 to shocking the Pacific region in 2025. Their breakthrough came when they wrestled the VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Pacific Stage 1 title away from Gen.G Esports, earning their first-ever championship and a direct ticket to Masters Toronto. However, what should have been a golden opportunity quickly turned sour, as RRQ struggled to handle the international pressure and crashed out in 7th-8th place without winning a single match.

Now, Champions 2025 marks RRQ’s second international outing of the year, and only their second ever. The stakes are higher than ever, as they look to redeem themselves and prove that their domestic triumph was no fluke. For both the team and their passionate Southeast Asian fanbase, this tournament is about transforming redemption into validation and showing the world that RRQ can stand tall against the best.

Can Pacific Sweep 2025?

One overarching storyline tying together several contenders is the Pacific region’s chance to complete a historic sweep of every international trophy in 2025. With Paper Rex, Rex Regum Qeon, T1, and DRX all in contention, a victory for any of these squads at Champions would seal an unprecedented clean sweep of the VCT season.

Such a triumph would extend beyond just this year’s significance. It would also mark the fifth consecutive international trophy lifted by an Asian team, following Gen.G’s VCT 2024 - Masters Shanghai victory, EDward Gaming’s VCT 2024 - Champions 2024 title, T1’s VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Bangkok 2025 title, and most recently, Paper Rex’s VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Toronto 2025 title.

This kind of consistency would fundamentally reshape the global balance of power in VALORANT. While North America and EMEA once stood as the undisputed heavyweights of the competitive scene, a five-trophy stretch for Asia would symbolize a permanent shift in dominance.

The Stakes Couldn’t Be Higher

Whether it’s EDG aiming to establish a dynasty, DRG and XLG fighting for their future, PRX and RRQ chasing defining glory, G2 and Fnatic building regional legacies, or the Pacific region aiming for complete domination, this year’s Champions promises to leave a lasting mark on history.

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Featured Image Source: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games