TOP 10 teams and players by prize money won in VALORANT
perepelovskyThe VALORANT Champions 2022 has come to an end, with Brazil's LOUD winning. This means that the balance of power on the stage has changed once again. If the last Masters was won by a team from the CIS, now it's the teams that will soon enter the American League.
At the same time some Valorant teams keep approaching seven-figure sums in prize money, which points to a rapid growth of the competition scene in a short period of time. Here's a look at the individual players and teams that have earned the most prize money in the two-plus years of VALORANT's existence.
Riot Games' history of supporting a strong competitive scene has attracted many players disillusioned with other disciplines, and many have found success in VALORANT that they have lacked elsewhere.
Despite recent difficulties, Sentinels are still the highest paid team in the scene, followed by ACEND and Gambit Esports (M3 Champions). LOUD burst into the top five of the rankings after their surprise win in Istanbul. When it comes to individual earnings, North America continue to lead with eight players in the top ten. Only the LOUD were able to dilute the region's hegemony.
Top 10 players in terms of prize money
Position | Player | Team | Amount |
---|---|---|---|
1 | crashies | OpTic Gaming | $145,650 |
2 | Victor | OpTic Gaming | $145,650 |
3 | FNS | OpTic Gaming | $142,760 |
4 | Marved | OpTic Gaming | $140,350 |
5 | yay | OpTic Gaming | $126,940 |
6 | Saadhak | LOUD | $118,360 |
7 | Sacy | LOUD | $116,168 |
8 | ShahZaM | Sentinels | $114,307 |
9 | zombs | Sentinels | $113,550 |
10 | SicK | Sentinels | $113,507 |
The dominance of Team OpTic Gaming players, who topped the list in terms of prize money earned, is noticeable. However, there's currently not much of a difference between the North Americans and the LOUD representatives, who, thanks to their recent victory at the VALORANT Champions 2022, have significantly strengthened their position in the top 10.
At the very bottom of the list we see Sentinels players (former and current). Despite the team's disappointing season, they continue to keep afloat in all sorts of rankings thanks to their dominance in late 2020 and early 2021.
We can run down the list and below, where we find some serious representation from the European region. Among them are players from Acend and M3 Champions (squads that have largely disintegrated and sunk into oblivion due to poor results in the current season).
Top 10 teams by prize money
Position | Team | Region | Amount |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Sentinels | North America | $567,500 |
2 | Acend | Europe | $514,734 |
3 | Gambit Esports (M3 Champions) | Europe | $495,449 |
4 | FunPlus Phoenix | Europe | $475,501 |
5 | LOUD | Brazil | $470,153 |
6 | OpTic Gaming | North America | $459,000 |
7 | Fnatic | Europe | $388,007 |
8 | Team Liquid | Europe | $381,173 |
9 | G2 Esports | Europe | $353,554 |
10 | Paper Rex | South East Asia | $324,995 |
In a continuation of Sentinels history, the team still holds the lead in VALORANT prize money. The reason is simple as hell - the North American team dominated the competition scene at the dawn of time, managing to win not only their region, but also the Masters.
But then we see an abundance of teams from Europe, who last season and this season were victorious in international Valorant tournaments. Team Acend remains in second place, having once won the VALORANT Champions 2021. Next in line is Gambit Esports (aka M3 Champions) who have a history of winning the Masters in Berlin and reaching the final of the VALORANT Champions 2021.
Not to forget FunPlus Phoenix, currently the strongest team in their region. The team just recently won the Masters and also finished in the top 4 at the last Champions 2022.
The reigning world champion, team LOUD, sits in fifth place. But given the trend, the Brazilian team has an excellent chance to build on their success in the next season.
Next in line is OpTic Gaming, a team that consistently performs in the big championships and reaches the top. From seventh to ninth lines are European teams - Fnatic, Team Liquid and G2 Esports. Rounding out the top ten is the only representative of South-East Asia - Paper Rex.