The grand finals of Masters Copenhagen between FunPlus Phoenix and Paper Rex gathered close to 200,000 viewers on the main English streams for both Twitch and YouTube alongside a sold-out stadium.
Masters Copenhagen was the first international event to host fans, and the fans in Denmark did not disappoint. COVID restrictions forced Masters to limit the live audience to only the elimination and grand finals, the latter of which sold out shortly before the event started. The Executive Producer and Creative Director Jean-Baptiste Blot posted a video of the long line of fans making their way into the stadium with the caption stating that the event had sold out.
The best-of-five series went the distance, with both teams trading each other on their own map picks to force a game five. Between different streams on both YouTube and Twitch, the grand final approached close to 200,000 viewers. Over 71,000 people watched on YouTube, while over 120,000 watched on the main Twitch stream. Costreams for the tournament as well as streams in other languages put the number well above 200,000. For the first international event to host a crowd, the event has been knocked out of the ballpark.
Fans from around the world came together in Denmark to cheer on the teams from EMEA and APAC in an electrifying series. Throughout the multiple maps, the crowd exploded in cheers for either side with an excitement that could be felt from beyond the streams. As VALORANT continues to grow as an esport, especially with partnered teams being brought on in 2023, there is a need for more live events to bring the energy to the players competing.
