Paper Rex and Team Liquid secured VCT Pacific and VCT EMEA Stage 2 titles ahead of VALORANT Champions Paris, which kicks off on September 12.
Paper Rex and Team Liquid secured VCT Pacific and VCT EMEA Stage 2 titles ahead of VALORANT Champions Paris, which kicks off on September 12.

Paper Rex reaffirmed their status as the Pacific powerhouse, while Team Liquid surged back to the top of Europe, with both squads capturing VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Stage 2 titles on Sunday, ahead of Champions Paris, which is set to begin on September 12.
At the LaLa Arena in Tokyo, Paper Rex defeated Rex Regum Qeon (RRQ) 3-1 to secure their third VCT Pacific championship. The Singaporean VALORANT roster, still riding momentum from their VALORANT Masters Toronto victory, dictated the pace from the opening map. Ilia “something” Petrov was the star of the final, unleashing his trademark aggression on Yoru to earn MVP honors and a gold keyboard. Veteran teammates Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto, Khalish “d4v41” Rusyaidee, and Wang “Jinggg” Jing Jie each added a third Pacific trophy, underscoring the team’s consistency at the highest level.

RRQ managed to stay competitive, stealing Lotus with a lockdown defensive half, but Paper Rex’s disciplined play on Haven sealed the deal. The victory marked PRX’s fourth overall trophy and confirmed their place as the Pacific’s top seed heading into Paris.
Meanwhile, in the EMEA League, Team Liquid swept GIANTX 3-0 to claim their first trophy in two years. After a turbulent 2024 and early struggles in 2025, Liquid rebuilt around Ayaz “nAts” Akhmetshin, adding Patryk “paTiTek” Fabrowski and Kamil “kamo” Frąckowiak before finally hitting the right balance with Nikita “trexx” Cherednichenko’s arrival. The refreshed lineup dominated Stage 2, overcoming both BBL Esports and GIANTX in the playoffs to lift the trophy.

The grand final highlighted Liquid’s resilience under pressure, as they repeatedly overturned deficits to close out rounds with composure. For an organization that hasn’t broken through internationally since a top-four finish at VALORANT Champions 2021, this victory is both a relief and a warning shot to rivals.
With VALORANT Champions Paris looming, both Paper Rex and Team Liquid enter the world stage brimming with confidence. PRX will look to finally claim a world title after falling short in 2023, while Liquid hopes their resurgence can carry beyond Europe. The two regional champions now set their sights on proving they can translate domestic dominance into global glory.