Masters Toronto champions lock Pacific’s first spot for Paris
Paper Rex have officially secured their place at the 2025 VALORANT Champions in Paris, becoming the first team from the Pacific region to be confirmed for the event. This was confirmed ahead of the conclusion of the Stage 2 playoffs and a dominant win against T1 in Playoffs Upper Semifinals, confirming PRX's place among the VCT Pacific top 3 teams. Champions will run from 12 September to 5 October 2025, split between Les Arènes de Grand Paris Sud at Évry-Courcouronnes (KC Arena) and the Accor Arena at Paris.
Paper Rex's journey to Paris has been characterized by consistent points accumulation and impressive LAN results. In June, Paper Rex won the Masters in Toronto, defeating Fnatic 3–1 in the grand final. This was PRX's first international VCT title, awarding them seven Championship Points under the 2025 system. Earlier in the year, they finished third in VCT Pacific Stage 1, earning 4 points and bringing their total to 11. It was inevitable that they would qualify for the Champions League, especially considering their performance in Stage 2.
Pacific powerhouse secures Champions slot
Internationally, Paper Rex maintained their momentum throughout the summer at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, ultimately placing fourth after losing to Gen.G in the third-place match. Although a place on the podium eluded them, the event reinforced PRX’s status as a top-tier contender heading into September.
There have also been some changes to the roster. On 14 July, Aaron “mindfreak” Leonhart moved to the inactive roster to explore opportunities, following Patrick “PatMen” Mendoza earlier move in March. The core of the team Wang “Jinggg” Jing Jie, Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto and Khalish “d4v41” Rusyaidee remains intact as PRX set their sights on Paris with their proven aggressive style of play.
With PRX now confirmed, the list of teams already qualified for the Paris Champions event as of 14 August 2025 includes G2 Esports and Sentinels from VCT Americas both via Championship Points, Fnatic as the first qualifier from EMEA, and Paper Rex from the Pacific region. The remaining slots will be decided through each region’s Stage 2 playoffs and final points calculation.
Header Photo Credit: Liu YiCun/Riot Games