VALORANT Champions 2025 Week 1 viewership falls short of 2024’s opening day

The opening week of VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Valorant Champions has started a conversation across the esports community, not for record-breaking viewership, but for its surprising decline when compared to last year.

Despite high expectations, Paris’ hosting debut has coincided with challenges resulting in Week 1 matches that struggled to match – let alone surpass – the explosive numbers set by Champions 2024’s opening day.

Disclaimer: All data referenced in this article was acquired from Esports Charts.

2024’s Day 1: The Benchmark

VCT 2024 - Champions 2024 Day 1 set a high bar with a peak of 652,801 viewers, gathering over 2.8 million hours watched and maintaining an average viewership of 445,610. Twitch and YouTube each drew impressive spikes – 405,069 and 193,956 peak viewers, respectively. The most-watched match of the day, a duel between the two Masters winners of 2024, Gen.G Esports (VCT 2024 - Masters Shanghai) vs. Sentinels (VCT 2024 - Masters Madrid), was a spectator magnet, and these numbers stood nearly unmatched by any group stage fixture for the rest of the event.

In comparison, the most viewed matches from Week 1 of Champions 2025 lag behind their 2024 counterparts:

• PRX vs XLG: 539,383
• RRQ vs Fnatic: 525,202
• T1 vs DRG: 518,976

Each of these games, while topping 500,000 peak viewers, still fell notably short of matching the opening day’s peak in 2024.

What Changed for 2025?

Several key factors contributed to this cooling trend. The most-watched 2024 group stage match came not on Day 1, but on the penultimate day, as Sentinels and Gen.G Esports clashed once again in an elimination battle, peaking at 769,769 viewers – higher than any 2025 group stage match so far.

This year, the Sentinels' presence no longer guarantees blockbuster numbers. The retirements of Tyson "TenZ" Ngo and Gustavo "Sacy" Rossi have visibly reduced their drawing power.

TenZ and Sacy were core to Sentinels’ success and immense fan appeal. TenZ was a VALORANT superstar known for his incredible plays and charisma, while Sacy brought a strong South American fanbase and multiple international titles. Their retirements left a significant void in Sentinels’ lineup and global popularity.

Timezones and Scheduling Woes

Further adding to the issues, Champions 2025’s Paris location introduces timezone disadvantages, especially for American audiences. As one Reddit user noted, “The timing of the [Sentinels] game was not ideal. It happened on a weekday morning when most people would be at school/work. Wouldn’t be surprised if their numbers jump up significantly if they played on a weekend.”

Adding to that, the three lowest viewership games in Week 1 have all been the second games of their respective days – a challenging slot for global fans. The lowest viewed game, LIQUID vs DRX, managed just over 300,000+ peak viewers, followed by Sentinels vs GiantX and G2 vs Team Heretics. Even though the rest of the EMEA teams apart from Fnatic may not always attract the largest numbers, these fixtures were high-quality matches deserving broader audiences.

Looking Ahead: Is a Turnaround Possible?

Despite a slower start, it’s important to remember that Champions 2025 is just getting underway. The group stage is far from over, and high-stakes matches in later stages could still boost viewership to or beyond last year’s metrics.

As it stands, VALORANT Champions 2025’s first week has not managed to eclipse the benchmark set by Champions 2024’s opening day or major group stage matches. However, changing time zones, shifting storylines, and the tournament’s unfolding drama leave plenty of room for the numbers to rise as the event continues.

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Featured Image Source: Adela Sznajder/Riot Games