NRG Defeat Fnatic in VALORANT Champions 2025 Upper Bracket Final

In the Upper Bracket Final of VALORANT Champions 2025, NRG delivered a confident performance against Fnatic, securing a 2:0 victory. The North American squad looked disciplined and composed, while Fnatic struggled to maintain momentum after the first map.

Map 1: Ascent (14:12 NRG)

Fnatic started on attack, but NRG immediately set the tone with an aggressive defensive style, shutting down early attempts to build momentum. By halftime, NRG had established an 8:4 lead. Fnatic managed to fight back in the second half with solid defense and sharp plays from kaajak on Yoru, who posted 23 kills and 244 ACS. However, NRG found key moments to swing the map back in their favor, including a standout round where s0m used a Judge to take down three Fnatic players and single-handedly win the round. In overtime, NRG played proactively, winning two straight rounds to close the map 14:12. Brawk (22 kills) and skuba (22 kills, 15 deaths) were instrumental in keeping the team stable under pressure.

Map 2: Abyss (13:5 NRG)

On their map pick, NRG left no room for doubt. Although Fnatic stole the bonus round early, NRG completely dominated the rest of the half, going into halftime with a crushing 11:1 lead. Skuba once again stood out with a clutch 1v2 win on the A site, and later mada sealed the deal with a decisive triple kill that shut down Fnatic’s last hopes. Fnatic managed to take the pistol after the break with a clever fake on A into a fast B push, but that only delayed the inevitable. The map ended 13:5, as skuba closed with 17 kills and 7 deaths, supported by mada’s 16 frags, while Fnatic’s best performer was crashies with 12 kills — not nearly enough to turn the tide.

NRG proved they are in peak form, locking in their spot in the grand final of Champions 2025. Fnatic, on the other hand, will have to fight their way through the lower bracket if they want to keep their title hopes alive.

Valorant Champions 2025 – Prize Pool Distribution ($2,250,000 USD)

• 1st place – $1,000,000 — TBD
• 2nd place – $400,000 — TBD
• 3rd place – $250,000 — TBD
• 4th place – $130,000 — Paper Rex
• 5th–6th place – $85,000 — Team Heretics, MIBR
• 7th–8th place – $50,000 — G2 Esports, GIANTX
• 9th–12th place – $30,000 — XLG Esports, Rex Regum Qeon, Team Liquid, T1
• 13th–16th place – $20,000 — Sentinels, Bilibili Gaming, EDward Gaming, Dragon Ranger Gaming

VALORANT Champions 2025 is the largest tournament in the VALORANT discipline, serving as the grand finale of the VALORANT Champions Tour that took place throughout 2025. The event brings together 16 of the best teams from around the world to compete for a prize pool of $2,250,000. It is being held in Paris, France.