LOUD and T1 secured the final two places in the VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026 playoffs on Sunday 4 October, completing the eight-team field with 2-0 wins over Global Esports and FUT Esports.
According to Sheep Esports, LOUD beat Global Esports 2-0 to secure its playoff berth, taking Split 13-8 and Sunset 13-9. The Brazilian side came through a close first half on Split before winning eight consecutive attacking rounds, then built a 9-3 lead on Sunset and held on to complete the sweep.
In-game leader Roberto “erde” Lobos led LOUD’s series, while T1 also closed out its qualification match in straight maps. The South Korean team beat FUT 13-10 on Sunset and 13-10 on Ascent, with Ham “iZu” Woo-ju singled out for a particularly strong performance.
The results ended the group stage and filled the final two spots in the knockout phase. Both winners remain in contention for the Champions title, while Global Esports and FUT fell short in their decisive matches.
The completed field includes four teams from the Americas and three from Pacific, alongside EMEA representative Team Vitality. T1 joins fellow Asian teams Paper Rex and Nongshim RedForce in the playoffs, and reached the top eight for the first time in its third Champions appearance.
The opening matchups send LOUD against Paper Rex and T1 against NRG. The field brings together teams from three regions for the event’s decisive stage, following a group phase that determined which organisations would continue their title campaigns. The Champions Shanghai format and schedule set the tournament’s broader context, while the leading teams heading into Shanghai offered a snapshot of the regional contenders.
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