Viewership wanes at the VCT 2025 Americas Kickoff across all demographics

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Last year in Valorant, the Americas Kickoff was not only the most popular season-opening event, but one of the year’s most popular events overall. This year, the VCT 2025: Americas Kickoff is still the most popular opener of the International Leagues so far, but the EMEA circuit is much closer behind. The Americas circuit has experienced a significant drop in viewership, with demographics across the board having recorded negative dynamics. 

The Americas circuit has historically been Valorant’s premiere league for viewership. The region combines two of Valorant’s strongest demographics, international English-speakers and Portuguese-language viewership from Brazil. Together, these two audiences have broken regional records for the VCT and been critical for the game’s viewership at international events. However, in 2025, both of these groups recorded fewer viewers for the Kickoff’s opening matches.

Compared to last year, the VCT 2025: Americas Kickoff’s opening matches received 32.7% fewer viewers on average. On top of receiving less viewership from its core audiences, previous minor demographics like Spanish-speaking and Japanese viewers were also less interested in this year’s Kickoff. Spanish recorded only a slight drop in peak viewership compared to last year, but Japanese peak viewership fell by 72%. 

While English viewership dropped considerably for this year, Portuguese-language viewership was more stable. Portuguese peak viewership fell by just 10%, having recorded over 200,000 concurrent viewers for LOUD’s game against Evil Geniuses. LOUD is Brazil’s premiere Valorant organization, and their loyal fan-following has made them one of the VCT’s most popular teams ever. However, this year, another contender is receiving strong Brazilian viewership too. 

MIBR fields a totally new roster this year, built around Brazilian star and former LOUD player Erick “aspas” Santos. Their first game against 100 Thieves received just under 300,000 concurrent viewers at peak, and fell just slightly outside the most popular matches of the opening rounds. Outside of LOUD’s games, this match received the highest Portuguese viewership of the tournament. With LOUD alumni aspas on their team, MIBR could be one of the Americas’ most popular teams if they can prove to be competitive. 

Generally, LOUD were the driving force behind viewership for the Americas Kickoff’s first two upper-bracket rounds. The Brazilian squad received over 350,000 Peak Viewers for two of their matches, with the game against KRÜ Esports coming out slightly ahead thanks to the boost in viewership from Spanish-speaking fans of the LATAM organization. 

Aside from LOUD, 100 Thieves’ match against Sentinels was the next-most popular game. The derby was massively popular among North Americans, having recorded over 208,000 concurrent English-speaking viewers. One of Sentinels’ new players in 2025, Sean “bang” Bezerra, formerly played for 100T for three seasons, adding an extra-layer to the match between these two rivals.

At the end of the 2024 season, both Sentinels players Tyson “TenZ” Ngo and Gustavo “Sacy” Rossi announced their retirements from professional play. The former Canadian pro was one of Valorant’s most popular players across the globe, and it is yet to be seen how his exit could affect Sentinels’ viewership. At first glance, Sentinels and their streamer Tarik “tarik” Celik received less viewership this year for the Kickoff. 

Generally, the VCT 2025: Americas Kickoff is off to a slow start. Viewership has been unable to match the hype enjoyed last year for the season-opener, but LOUD are still yet to face Sentinels this year. This match-up is usually massively popular, and on January 31, these two will face off in the Upper Bracket Semifinals. Before this, the lower-bracket starts on January 23 with the first elimination of either FURIA Esports or Evil Geniuses. Esports Charts will continue to track viewership data for the regional Kickoffs and report on news throughout the Valorant Champions Tour in 2025.