With only two series left in the tournament, Champions 2023 is ramping up to its exciting conclusion, with only three of the best VALORANT teams in the world battling for eternal glory and prestige. The Grand Finals might be taking place on Saturday, Aug. 26, but the tournament has already pierced the upper echelons by breaking past one significant viewership mark.
Most fans would agree that Paper Rex and Evil Geniuses are two of the most exciting teams in the world, and the numbers show it, with their upper bracket finals matchup hitting one million peak viewers, according to viewership aggregate EsportsCharts. This was the most-viewed series of the tournament by far and should be a good sign of things to come.
Evil Geniuses’ run to stardom has been one of the best stories in esports after the team went from getting swept at the LOCK//IN by PSG Talon to becoming the final hope for North America and one of the best teams we’ve sent to an international event.
Paper Rex has been a thrilling team to watch too, especially with this event being Wang “Jinggg” Jing Jie’s last showing as a professional before his mandatory military service in Singapore. The team has played every game with great mechanics, perfect team play, and a fun outlook on every situation they find themselves in.
Related: Paper Rex star might be retiring from pro VALORANT after Champions 2023
When these two stories collided, most of the competitive VALORANT community gathered around the watch, and with even more exciting stories headed our way, we could see Champions 2023 break records by the end of the event.
For example, LOUD and Evil Geniuses will finally get their long-awaited rematch after the former was beaten by the latter in a surprise sweep at Masters Tokyo. Additionally, LOUD is coming off of an incredible series vs. Fnatic, who were denied their chance at a grand slam this year. The Brazilian supersquad has found their form at the right time, while the Geniuses are trying to earn their rematch vs. the Pacific representatives in the finals.
We should see massive viewership numbers over the next two days as Champions comes to its fiery conclusion.
