100 Thieves knock defending champ NRG out of Valorant Champions
NRG finishes fifth or sixth in Shanghai; 100 Thieves will face G2, which beat T1 2-1, on Oct. 16.
100 Thieves beat NRG, the defending champion, 2-0 on Sunday, Oct. 11, in the second round of the lower bracket at Valorant Champions 2026 in Shanghai. A loss in that round ends a team's run, so NRG is out, according to VLR.gg.
NRG had dropped to the lower bracket on Saturday by losing 2-1 to LOUD in the upper semifinal. It now finishes fifth or sixth, according to Hotspawn.
On Sunset, the map 100 Thieves picked, the series went to overtime and ended 14-12. On Haven, NRG's pick, the score was 13-4. According to VLR.gg, vora of 100 Thieves and keiko of NRG both finished Sunset with a 1.28 rating. On Haven, 100 Thieves' Asuna had the best rating on the server, 1.35, playing Phoenix.
NRG's bonkar said in the press room that 100 Thieves "played better than us." Vora, on the winning side, said that when he plays he "blocks out the noise." VLR.gg reported both statements.
NRG won Champions 2025 against Fnatic and arrived in Shanghai as the first team with a shot at repeating as champion, according to Hotspawn. Hotspawn adds that 100 Thieves had already beaten it in two earlier finals: the upper final of Stage 2 and the final of the Esports World Cup. Without NRG, there will be no back-to-back champion.
In the other series of the round, G2 Esports beat T1 2-1. The map scores of that series were not verified. On Oct. 16, 100 Thieves and G2 play the third lower-bracket round, and the winner moves on to the lower final. Vitality and LOUD play the upper final that day.
The lower final is on Oct. 17 and the grand final on Oct. 18. The total prize pool is $2.25 million, with $1 million going to the champion, according to Fragster. None of the sources consulted gives the prize for fifth or sixth place.
