NRG Esports Wins VALORANT Champions 2025 in Paris | Early Viewership Stats & Insights

VALORANT Champions 2025 — the final event of this year’s Valorant esports season — has officially wrapped up in Paris. NRG Esports claimed the title after a 3:2 victory over Fnatic in the grand final. The atmosphere was electric, with the Accor Arena filled to the brim with fans, though the tournament’s livestream viewership was close to hit record highs. Esports Charts has shared the first insights from the event.

This article provides an early look at the tournament’s viewership stats, compiled right after the event ended. A full report with more precise numbers will be released on October 6, accounting for all broadcasts — including smaller community caster channels.

Heading into the tournament, few analysts saw NRG Esports as a serious contender. Only 3.9% of Pick’Em predicted NRG as the winner. The team had a fairly modest track record in Valorant and had never cracked the top three at international events. The lone exception was team captain Ethan “Ethan” Arnold, who previously won the VALORANT Champions 2023 title with Evil Geniuses.

TROPHY LIFT MOMENT FOR @NRGgg #VALORANTChampions pic.twitter.com/FdNTmnAoDt
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) October 5, 2025

During the group stage, NRG cruised past EDward Gaming and DRX to top their group with ease. In the playoffs, Ethan’s squad made quick work of GIANTX before grinding out a tough overtime victory against MIBR. They then confidently took down Fnatic in the upper bracket final — and did it again in the grand final to secure the championship. With this win, Ethan became the first player in VALORANT Champions history to lift the trophy twice — and with two different teams.

VALORANT Champions 2025 Viewership Statistics

The organizers of VALORANT Champions 2025 went all out to create an amazing experience for fans at the Accor Arena. Attendees enjoyed a lively musical opening ceremony and a striking stage setup. Riot Games also unveiled a new agent, Veto, ahead of the grand final — set to launch in-game on October 7.

POV: You're at the #VALORANTChampions Grand Finals pic.twitter.com/ZFlcL90o0u
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) October 5, 2025

Preliminary data shows that the tournament’s peak online audience just topped 1.47 million concurrent viewers. The grand final drew the largest crowd, outpaced the Paper Rex vs. Fnatic match on the fourth day of the playoffs. While the full viewership analysis is still pending, it’s already clear that the tournament didn’t quite meet expectations when it comes to audience numbers.

A big part of VALORANT Champions 2025’s viewership struggles came down to the finalists. The tournament notably missed out on NRG fans and North American viewers, with the grand final kicking off around 4 a.m. in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, fans in China and the Pacific regions had little incentive to tune in, since no local teams were playing in the final.

VALORANT Champions 2025 saw 2nd peaks in online viewership. Across all three metrics, VALORANT Champions 2022 remains the most-watched tournament. Full statistics for all VCT season events are available on the report page.