The bottom four teams of Valorant Champions 2026 are all from VCT China, as the region suffered a nightmare event in Shanghai.
TYLOO, XLG, EDward Gaming, and JDG all exited the competition in joint last place at the first-ever Valorant Champions in China, with JDG the last to fall after a 1-2 defeat to T1.
All Chinese bottom four at Valorant Champions Shanghai
While VCT China was assumed to be the weakest region coming into their home Champions event, the scale of the failure remains extraordinary.
VCT China was the joint lowest-placed region at Valorant Masters Santiago, and the worst region by top placement at Masters London; however, the region did manage wins against other regions on both occasions.
This time, the Chinese rosters could not win a single series, going 0-2 in the majority of the eight series played across the event. The China region managed only to win two maps in eight Best of 3 series, for a combined 2-16 record across the event.
The complete list of results for the Chinese region at Valorant Champions Shanghai are:
Round 1 matches:
- G2 2-0 TYLOO
- Karmine Corp 2-0 XLG
- LOUD 2-0 EDward Gaming
- FUT 2-0 JDG
Lower Bracket matches:
- Team Liquid 2-1 TYLOO
- Nongshim RedForce 2-0 XLG
- Global Esports 2-0 EDward Gaming
- T1 2-1 JDG
VCT China performance lags behind regional enthusiasm
The result is a devastating outcome for Chinese Valorant. The region has a fanatical fanbase that cheered on their regional teams at every opportunity, but were given few opportunities to do so.
The Chinese viewership is understood to be the bulk of the Valorant fanbase, as represented by this year’s Valorant Masters London viewership.
Esports Charts claimed that Valorant Masters London achieved 1.07 million peak concurrent viewers without Chinese viewership. That data was then followed by Valorant Champions Tour’s official X, which claimed 9.9 million peak viewers for the event.
So, that leaves China with an assumed dominant viewership position in Valorant esports, but without a competitive roster to back up the passion of its community.
Despite advantages like a large regional arena for VCT China and the most matches per regional split, China evidently needs to find something to catch up to the other regions, which are outstripping it competitively.
What do you think needs to change for China to compete? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, see why players have to use wired mice at Valorant Champions 2026 And for even more Insider Gaming delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
More from Darragh Harbinson
Comments