Valorant Champions 2023: All teams' power rankings

Valorant Champions 2023 begins on August 6, 2023, and will feature the best teams from various regions. These squads will battle it out over three weeks to determine the victor. The winner will take home a cash prize of $1 million USD. The tournament will be divided into two stages: Group and Playoffs. The teams participating in this event undoubtedly vary in strength, as some squads are clearly better than most of their competition.

This article will rank every team playing at Valorant Champions 2023.

Valorant Champions 2023 teams ranked from worst to best

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Sixteen teams will grace the Valorant Champions 2023 stage. Some notable names include Fnatic, LOUD, Paper Rex, and EDward Gaming. All the squads participating in this event have performed admirably in their regional leagues and deserve to be part of the exciting conclusion to 2023's VCT season.

The following list will rank the sixteen teams from worst to best based on three main criteria:

Current form
Recent performances and achievements
Overall firepower and talent

With that in mind, here are the teams' power rankings:

16) FunPlus Phoenix

FunPlus Phoenix's brand new Mandarin-speaking roster was able to showcase some innovative strategies with the new lineup in VCT LOCK//IN. Heading into Valorant Champions 2023, expectations for this roster are very low since they are the third seed from China, where EDward Gaming has historically been head and shoulders above the rest.

Here are the members on this team:

Zhang "AAAAY" Yang
Zhang "BerLIN" Bo-lin
Tang "TZH" Zhehao
Huang "Yuicaw" Yung-chieh
Liang "Lysoar" You Hao
He "WudiYuChEn" Cai (substitute)
Deng "NaThanD" Senqiao (head coach)

15) Bilibili Gaming

Bilibili Gaming is the second seed from the Chinese region for Valorant Champions 2023. This will be the organization's first-ever international VCT tournament, and their roster has the potential to surprise people. That is because this team's Duelist player, whzy, is often considered one of the best pros in China. Here are the members in this squad:

Wang "whzy" Haozhe
Li "rin" Liwei
Zhong "Biank" Jianfei
Liu "Knight" Yuxiang
Lei "yosemite" Wang
Wang "JeXeN" Linxiao (head coach)

14) ZETA DIVISION

ZETA DIVISION cooled off after their miracle run at VCT Masters 2022 Reykjavik and had not shown anything spectacular until the Pacific LCQ. The roster had a great run at that event.

However, out of all the LCQ winners, ZETA looked the least convincing in their victories. This is why they're in the 14th spot in Valorant Champions 2023's power rankings. These are the members on this team:

Koji "Laz" Ushida (IGL)
Tomoaki "crow" Maruoka
Yuma "Dep" Hashimoto
Shota "SugarZ3ro" Watanabe
Tenta "TENNN" Asai
Ryo "Barce" Takebayashi (substitute)
Hibiki "XQQ" Motoyama (head coach)

13) KRÜ Esports

KRÜ Esports ended the VCT Americas 2023 season without a single win. When they entered the Americas LCQ, many people had written them off. However, they had an incredible run, where they did not drop a single series and qualified for Valorant Champions 2023.

However, the team will have to play even better against international competition, which may be too big of an ask for this LATAM roster, whose roster includes

Nicolas "Klaus" Ferrari (IGL)
Juan "NagZ" Pablo Lopez
Santiago "Daveeys" Galvis Ruiz
Marco "Melser" Amaro
Angelo "keznit" Mori
Carlos "axeddy" Galvão (substitute)
Jorge "Atom" Luis Siero Noriega (head coach)

12) Giants

Giants have been considered a dark horse in EMEA ever since Valorant's franchising began. This roster has the perfect mix of veterans and young talent. They were able to perform well in EMEA LCQ and didn't lose a single map. The team, unfortunately, will find themselves in a tough group at Valorant Champions 2023, which puts them in the 12th spot. Here are this team's members:

Adolfo "Fit1nho" Gallego
Aaro "hoody" Peltokangas
Žygimantas "nukkye" Chmieliauskas
Emir "rhyme" Muminovic (IGL)
Kirill "Cloud" Nehozhin
Daniil "pipsoN" Meshcheryakov (Head Coach)

11) T1

T1 had a decent showing at VCT Masters Tokyo but was not able to advance past the group stage. Nevertheless, this roster is filled with talented players, where Duelist Sayaplayer is the most notable name. T1 is in a relatively even group at Valorant Champions 2023 and has a good chance of making it to the Playoffs. Here are their players:

Son "xeta" Seon-ho (IGL)
Byeon "Munchkin" Sang-beom
Joseph "ban" Seungmin Oh
Ha "Sayaplayer" Jung-woo
Lee "Carpe" Jae-hyeok
Kang "iNTRO" Seung-gyun (substitute)
Yoon "Autumn" Eu-teum (head coach)

10) FUT Esports

FUT Esports will be the ultimate underdog in this competition from the EMEA region. Despite being unable to get past the Group Stage at Masters Tokyo, they showed excellent strategies and have great players such as qw1 and ATA KAPTAN.

FUT Esports has a great chance of cementing Turkish Valorant as a legitimate competitive scene at Champions 2023. This team's members are:

Buğra "mojj" Kiraz
Doğukan "qRaxs" Balaban
Konur "qw1" Alp Şahin
Furkan "MrFaliN" Yeğen (IGL)
Ata "ATA KAPTAN" Tan
Serhat "Muj" Yüksel (substitute)
Eray "GAIS" Sarıkaya (head coach)

9) Natus Vincere

Natus Vincere has one of the most decorated lineups in VCT history. Surprisingly, the team has been unable to find its groove, suffering an early elimination at Masters Tokyo.

Their performance in the EMEA LCQ was not inspiring either. Despite this, NAVI's players are known to be some of the best in the world and have a good shot at turning things in their favor at Valorant Champions 2023. This squad includes:

Kyrylo "ANGE1" Karasov (IGL)
Andrey "Shao" Kiprsky
Pontus "Zyppan" Eek
Mehmet "cNed" Yağız İpek
Dmitry "SUYGETSU" Ilyushin
Erik "d00mbr0s" Sandgren (head coach)

8) DRX

DRX is one of the most notable teams in VCT history and has been a mainstay on its international stage. However, the 2023 season might be this squad's worst one yet because they have not found the same level of success compared to previous years.

Fans have lowered their expectations for this Korean roster heading into Valorant Champions 2023, but the team has all the tools to perform well at this event. Here are all the players on this roster:

Kim "stax" Gu-taek (IGL)
Goo "rb" Sang-min
Yu "BuZz" Byung-chul
Kim "MaKo" Myeong-kwan
Jung "Foxy9" Jae-sung
Kim "Zest" Gi-seok (substitute)
Pyeon "termi" Seon-ho (head coach)

7) Team Liquid

Team Liquid's latest roster took some time to get its momentum going in the 2023 VCT season. After a disastrous performance at LOCK//IN, the squad went on to win the EMEA title. They were unable to translate this success at Masters Tokyo.

Despite this, Team Liquid is extremely strong and capable of defeating anyone when performing at their peak. Here are their members:

Dom "soulcas" Sulcas
Elias "Jamppi" Olkonnen
Igor "Redgar" Vlasov (IGL)
Ayaz "nAts" Akhmetshin
Saif "Sayf" Jibraeel
Dmitriy "dimasick" Matvienko (substitute)
Nico "Harmii" Harms (substitute)
Emil "eMIL" Sandgren (head coach)

6) LOUD

LOUD are the defending world champions going into this tournament. The team showed exceptionally admirable gameplay at LOCK//IN and was able to win VCT Americas.

However, their dreadful performance at Masters Tokyo has cast much doubt regarding their ability to defend their trophy. Regardless, LOUD is a roster filled with amazing players who have a penchant for bouncing back, and they are:

Erick "aspas" Santos
Felipe "Less" Basso
Matias "saadhak" Delipetro (IGL)
Cauan "cauanzin" Pereira
Arthur "tuyz" Vieira
Daniel "fRoD" Montaner (head coach)

5) EDward Gaming

EDward Gaming exploded onto the scene at VCT Masters Tokyo and quickly proved to everyone that Chinese Valorant can compete with the best. The roster saw a phenomenal run at that event, with ZmjjKK being the superstar of that tournament.

At Valorant Champions 2023, EDG will be looking to continue their great form and reach newer heights. The team has these members:

Guo "Haodong" Haodong (IGL)
Wan "CHICHOO" Shunzhi
Wang "nobody" Senxu
Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang
Zhang "Smoggy" Zhao
Tang "Muggle" Shijun (substitute)
Lo "AfteR" Wen-hsin (head coach)

4) NRG

NRG is one of the most experienced teams in the VCT circuit. This squad was widely recognized to be one of the best in the world ahead of 2023's VCT season. NRG has consistently placed in the upper half of every tournament they have played.

At Valorant Champions 2023, the roster will be looking to make that extra push and try to win the title. Here are its members:

Pujan "FiNESSE" Mehta (IGL)
Sam "s0m" Oh
Austin "crashies" Roberts
Ardis "ardiis" Svarenieks
Victor "Victor" Wong
Alan "ethos" Ruan (substitute)
Chet "Chet" Singh (head coach)

3) Evil Geniuses

Evil Geniuses have been the ultimate surprise of this 2023 VCT season. After some subpar performances, the integration of Demon1 into their main roster changed the team dynamic entirely. Subsequently, the squad performed very well at VCT Masters Tokyo and came second. Evil Geniuses are considered by many to be a strong contender for the Valorant Champions 2023 title because it has the following members:

Alexander "jawgemo" Mor
Corbin "C0M" Lee
Ethan "Ethan" Arnold
Kelden "Boostio" Pupello (IGL)
Max "Demon1" Mazanov
Jeffrey "Reformed" Lu (substitute)
Brendan "BcJ" Jensen (substitute)
Christine "potter" Chi (head coach)

2) Paper Rex

Paper Rex's hyper-aggressive playstyle has made them popular and helped them carve a niche in this title's competitive scene. They have had a great year so far, winning VCT Pacific and coming third at Masters Tokyo without their star player something.

With this pro now confirmed to be at Valorant Champions 2023, Paper Rex's full potential will be unleashed. Here are all their players:

Aaron "mindfreak" Leonhart
Wang "Jinggg" Jing Jie
Jason "f0rsakeN" Susanto (IGL)
Khalish "d4v41" Rusyaidee
Ilya "something" Petrov
Patiphan "cgrs" Posri (substitute)
Alexandre "alecks" Sallé (head coach)

1) Fnatic

Fnatic is the best team in the world right now. This squad won every competition it has been a part of this year, barring the EMEA league. Internationally, no one has been able to match Fnatic's pedigree, either. This European team is the overwhelming favorite to win Valorant Champions 2023 and has these members:

Jake "Boaster" Howlett (IGL)
Leo "Leo" Jannesson
Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev
Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov
Emir "Alfajer" Ali Beder
Maks "kamyk" Rychlewski (substitute)
Jacob "Mini" Harris (head coach)

That marks the end of this tier list. Though Fnatic is highly likely to win this event, it'll be interesting to see how the other teams fare.