Catch all the best moments from the VALORANT Champions 2025 press conference in Paris, France, on September 11.
On Sept. 11, 2025, Riot Games hosted the VALORANT Champions 2025 press conference, where a representative from each team shared their expectations for the tournament, and much more. Here's everything that was noteworthy from the conference.
Group A conference
When asked about winning both Masters Toronto and Champions 2025, PRX’s f0rsakeN said he believes it’s possible, and the team is working hard to close the year with a golden key. The in-game leader is also aiming for another MVP title, even though he doesn’t wear his bracelet. “It’s in my collection,” he laughed. Even though the stakes are high, f0rsakeN does not feel "pressured" since the team has been "doing this tournament a couple of times."
Zellsis kicked things off by addressing the team’s mindset heading into the tournament after a rough domestic run. “Stage two didn’t end with a trophy, but we took away a lot of positives and showed real progress throughout the year,” he said. “We’re happy with where we are, and ignoring that growth would only hurt us at Champions.”
Known for his social media bundle jokes, Zellsis added some flair at the end. He hinted he might equip the Wolves’ gun buddy and encouraged fans to grab the GIANTX bundle, calling it “cool.”
Ara's health and Demon1's comeback to the international stage
Flickless used the press conference to clear up questions about ara’s status for the tournament. A few days earlier, GIANTX released a video explaining that the duelist had fallen ill, which disrupted some of the team’s preparation. Flickless reassured fans that “ara will play” and emphasized that the team will “try to do its best.” In ara’s absence, the squad scrimmed with their assistant coach, and Flickless noted that “it went pretty well with him.”
XLG’s in-game leader, Viva, reflected on their Masters Toronto run, admitting the team wasn’t in top form at the time. Since then, they’ve worked hard to ensure Champions feels different. “This time, our goal is to take every map and win,” Viva said. On adapting to the event, he pointed out that the time zone posed a challenge, but praised the host city. When asked about DRG and the battle for a VCT China spot, Viva kept the focus on Champions, stating that the team will be “fully locked in every game.”
All four players also shared their excitement about facing Maximilian "Demon1" Mazanov, who recently joined Dragon Ranger Gaming.
Group B conference
BLG’s whzy shared a lighthearted story about XLG’s Viva, who once ate 23 snails in a single sitting. He has not had the chance to try it yet, but says he would love to. Looking ahead to Paris as the VCT China first seed, whzy explained that he does not feel much pressure, but he is fully prepared to represent his region in the best way possible.
The Chinese player shared that he would love to play alongside EDG’s nobody in the finals to experience the feeling of being the “big Wang.” Both players share the same last name, Wang, which means “king” in Chinese, and because of that, they are often referred to as “big Wang” and “little Wang.”
Aspas started to explain why the Brazilian team came to Europe earlier than other teams. In fact, they were having a boot camp in Germany. The player assures that they had "good practices" and they are going to do their best at the tournament. In a funny situation where players needed to save on the table, crazyguy and Whzy chose aspas to save them because he was the "GOAT."
Champions atmosphere
RRQ’s crazyguy believes the team has grown stronger heading into Champions after gaining valuable experience at Masters Toronto, where they were eliminated by FNATIC. “We’ve prepared our mentality better and we’re ready to fight them,” he said. When asked by esports.gg about his decision to donate his Stage 2 prize money to charity and how that motivates him, crazyguy shared that his passion for gaming goes back to childhood. While money has value, he explained, it is not what drives him. “Money can help a lot of people,” he said, which is why he chose to give it to charity.
Asked about FNATIC's qualification for the tournament, Boaster does not have expectations of winning, but he promises similar energy and atmosphere. On recent comments on his personal performance, the IGL, this is a battle he has been dealing with for a long time. "I wanted to be able to frag a bit more, get the kills for my team, and win the games. [...] It does help being able to get the kills, but also being there to allow your teammates to get kills as an IGL is very important for me. I want them to shine," he stated.
Group C conference
EDG enters Champions 2025 as one of the tournament favorites, aiming to defend their title. ZmjjKK, also known as KangKang, said stepping onto the Champs stage feels completely different. With Champions confirmed to return to Shanghai in 2026, he described the opportunity as a dream come true. “I think having a dream is a good thing, and I hope I can do my best to accomplish it,” he said when asked about the possibility of defending the Champions title in his home country.
DRX’s HYUNMIN also reflected on his journey, calling it “surreal” to qualify for Champions in his first VCT season. The 19-year-old rookie, who rose through the Challengers Japan ranks, said he plans to savor the moment while still pursuing strong results. “I just want to have fun and make good results,” he added.
Two-time Champions winner
Ethan, the 2023 Champions winner now playing for NRG, said he doesn’t feel any extra pressure since the team has already achieved its goal of qualifying for Champs. He believes embracing the underdog role “helps your mental going into a tournament like this,” and emphasized that NRG’s talent-packed roster is ready to tackle the event “match by match.” In this edition, three of the original five EG players have the chance to become two-time Champions, a first in VALORANT history. NRG’s Ethan called it a “good feeling” and said that if he had to choose one teammate to be, he would pick Demon1 to be the winner. "You could always count on him to just do his job, especially in his prime."
When asked about facing EDG’s Wan "CHICHOO" Shunzhi again, a player who has openly expressed his respect for him, Team Liquid’s in-game leader nAts said he feels excited for the matchup. With both teams having traded wins in past encounters, he believes it’s the perfect time for a rematch. This is the first Champions where nAts will be playing as an IGL, which for him is different, but does not change the fact that he's been working to deliver the best performance possible.
As for the player with the most aura, everyone agrees that EDG ZmjjKK hits differently on stage!
Group D conference
In the Group D conference, the media had the opportunity to talk with T1 Yu "BuZz" Byung-chul, XLG Ran "Viva" Lifan, TH Benjy "benjyfishy" Fish, and G2 Esports Jacob "valyn" Batio.
At the beginning of the year, T1 took home the Masters Bangkok title, but since then, their performance domestically and internationally has not been the best. T1 BuZz recognizes it and believes that the team has not "caught up to the other teams," and they can fight back. The Korean player believes that the addition of the rookie Kang "DH" Dong-ho was "very positive" and, even with little experience, "he has been doing a great job beyond our expectations." For the fans, T1 BuZz assures you that there is nothing to be worried about because the team is feeling confident about this Champions.
XLG Viva is debuting on an international stage in the Champions. Questioned about his adaptation to the city, the IGL revealed that this is his first time in Paris, and both the food and the venue are incredible. About the feelings and expectations, Viva is confident in this team since they have learned a lot from the scrims they did in the past days. He also commented on the recent addition of Demon1, who stepped up to replace Ilya "vo0kashu" Ushakov, who is still dealing with visa problems. "He brought us different feelings. His comprehension of the game, on the macro, and some of his thoughts were really awesome."
Tier 2 problems
Reflecting on Team Heretics’ mixed results this year, with the Esports World Cup title standing out as the highlight, benjyfishy admitted it had been a year of growth and change for the roster. “Just because we won EWC doesn’t mean we’re automatically going to have a great run at Champs,” he noted. When asked in a lighthearted hypothetical about switching places with another team, benjyfishy joked that he would join T1 in a heartbeat, just for the chance to play alongside Faker, one of the most accomplished players in League of Legends history.
Finally, G2 valyn reflected on the pressure to try to make Champions or even better to extend the Ascension spot. "You're always chasing something and you can never get complacent because, if you do, then your job is gone, your team is gone, and I love my team so much," the IGL explained.
When asked about the Tier 2 ecosystem, valyn didn’t dive too deep into the subject, but he emphasized how grateful he is to have made it out of such a difficult environment. “I think the toughness of the Tier 2 makes you into a really good Tier 1 player. So for all those players, stay motivated, be humble, and just keep going. You'll be in the spot soon as well," he completed.
That's all for now. Stick around for more VALORANT news, guides, and updates on esports.gg.
