The VALORANT Champions 2025 groups are locked, and all eyes are on Paris as 16 of the world’s best teams battle for glory, but is Group D the Group of Death?
With the dust settling over the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) regional Stage 2 events, the qualification process for Champions 2025 is complete.
All 16 teams are set to compete at the Les Arènes in Paris, from September 12 to 22. Only the top two teams from each group will advance to the playoff stage (September 25 to October 5), while the rest are eliminated.
The world’s best will compete for glory in the French capital. Image Credit: Riot Games
With $2,225,000 on the line, let’s begin by checking out all four groups at Champions Paris’ Group Stage.
Champions Paris Groups and opening matchups
You’ll find an overview of the official Champions Paris Group Stage placements, team seeding, opening matchups, and schedule below.
The complete Champions Paris schedule. Image Credit: Riot Games
Group A:
- Paper Rex (#1 Pacific) vs. Xi Lai Gaming (#4 China)
- GIANTX (#2 EMEA) vs. Sentinels (#3 Americas)
Group B:
- Bilibili Gaming (#1 China) vs. MIBR (#4 Americas)
- Rex Regum Qeon (#2 Pacific) vs. Fnatic (#3 Americas)
Group C:
- Team Liquid (#1 EMEA) vs. DRX (#4 Pacific)
- NRG (#2 Americas) vs. EDward Gaming (#3 China)
Group D:
- G2 Esports (#1 Americas) vs. Team Heretics (#4 EMEA)
- Dragon Ranger Gaming (#2 China) vs. T1 (#3 Pacific)
Check out the Champions Paris draw show below:
The complete #VALORANTChampions Paris Draw Show pic.twitter.com/ZmtVcDbMR2
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) September 1, 2025
Can you spot the “Group of Death” for Champions Paris? We sure can, with a clash of titans looming in the not-so-distant future.
Champions Paris – Group D for Death?
Coincidentally, we think the Group of Death at Champions Paris is Group D. We aren’t saying any of the Champions Paris groups are easy, especially with the world championship on the line.
However, Group D is absolutely stacked, and the opening game between G2 Esports and Team Heretics promises to be a thrilling match, arguably worthy of deciding a championship.
Team Heretics remains a favorite despite an early exit at EMEA Stage 2. Image Credit: Riot Games
In the Americas region, it’s G2 Esports’ world, and we’re just living in it. Having dominated the entire season with trophies from VCT Kickoff, Stage 1, and Stage 2, the roster also boasts a 2nd-place finish at Masters Bangkok and a 4th-place finish at Masters Toronto.
On the other side of the coin, there’s Team Heretics, who hold the fourth seed in Europe. Despite their seeding and only narrowly qualifying for Champions Paris thanks to Team Liquid’s Stage 2 win, Team Heretics can be considered one of the pre-tournament favorites, having won the most recent international event, the Esports World Cup.
While the clash between G2 Esports and Team Heretics in the opening match of Group D is already significant enough to consider a “Group of Death,” the addition of T1 pushes it over the edge.
After all, T1 is the Masters Bangkok champions, and at VCT Pacific Stage 2, narrowly lost to RRQ in a 2-1 slugfest in the Upper Bracket Semifinal. If the wind had blown even slightly in the other direction, T1 might have been the #2 or even the #1 seed from the Pacific region.
In any other group, Dragon Ranger Gaming, the #2 seed in China, could have been a favorite. The squad is on form, having made an incredible run at VCT China Stage 2, beating defending world champions EDward Gaming 2-0, XLG Esports 2-1, and Bilibili Gaming 2-1 to make it to the grand final, where they lost 3-1 to Bilibili Gaming in a rematch.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if we see a couple of Group D teams make it to the top four and compete at the Accor Arena.