VCT CN Stage 2 Playoffs are set to take place on August 9-10 (Shanghai) and August 20-24 (Chongqing) for four spots at VALORANT Champions Paris.
CHINA – The group stage of VCT CN Stage 2 has officially wrapped, and the eight-team playoff bracket is now set.
Bilibili Gaming and Xi Lai Gaming topped their respective groups and will begin their playoff run directly in the upper bracket semi-finals in Chongqing. There, they’ll await the winners of the two Upper Bracket Round 1 matches.
The opening matches on August 9-10 will be held at the VCT CN Arena in Shanghai before the final six teams take the stage in front of a live crowd in the cyberpunk-style city of Chongqing.
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As mentioned, six teams will first compete in Shanghai for the remaining four spots in Chongqing.
EDward Gaming are set to take on Dragon Ranger Gaming, while All Gamers will face TYLOO in the other upper bracket clash. In the lower bracket, fourth-seeded Trace Esports and FunPlus Phoenix must fight through elimination matches with no room for error. Any loss will end their playoff run and their shot at Champions Paris.
BLG & XLG
Bilibili Gaming and Xi Lai Gaming emerged as the top seeds from Group Alpha and Group Omega, respectively, both finishing the group stage with a 4-1 record.
BLG have looked more refined than ever, showing solid fundamentals and sharp teamplay throughout Stage 2. Wang “whzy” Haozhe has been, as always, a reliable powerhouse in terms of firepower, while in-game leader Marcus “nephh” Tan continues to shine in the strategy department. BLG’s only loss came at the hands of Trace Esports, despite whzy pulling off three aces in that series. Their other victories included a 2-1 win over JDG Esports and 2-0 sweeps against both Titan Esports Club and EDward Gaming.
As the 2024 Ascension champions, Xi Lai Gaming were cruising toward a flawless group stage with dominant 2-0 victories over Wolves Esports, FunPlus Phoenix, and Nova Esports. But their perfect run was cut short in the final match by Dragon Ranger Gaming, where Ilya “vo0kashu” Ushakov and his team pulled off a surprise 2-1 upset.
Now sitting in the Chongqing upper bracket, they’re just one win away from qualifying for Champions Paris.
EDG
EDward Gaming looked noticeably shakier in Stage 2. After bringing in Zhang “zjc” Juncheng (hfmi0dzjc9z7) and dropping their opening match to Trace Esports, the team made a quick adjustment by reactivating Zhang “Jieni7” Juntai to the starting lineup. Another shift saw Wang “nobody” Senxu begin sharing in-game leadership duties with Wan “CHICHOO” Shunzhi.
The roster change led to victories over TYLOO (2-0) and a hard-fought win against JDG Esports (2-1). Their final group stage match was a rematch of the Stage 1 Finals against Bilibili Gaming, a series that had previously denied them a spot at Masters Toronto. History repeated itself, as EDG once again came up short, this time falling 0-2.
That result secured BLG the top seed in Group Alpha but further exposed the ongoing instability of the reigning 2024 VALORANT world champions, who now face the real possibility of missing the chance to defend their title in 2025. Still, they remain one of the favorites to claim one of the four spots at Champions Paris.
WOL
They don’t make playoffs. Wolves Esports are staring down a major collapse just weeks after their impressive third-place finish at VALORANT Masters Toronto. Led by Pong “SiuFatBB” Ka-hei, the team stumbled out of the gate with three straight losses to FunPlus Phoenix, All Gamers, and Xi Lai Gaming, failing to win a single map in the process.
While their playoff hopes were already slim, a hard-fought win over DRG briefly kept Wolves in the race until Nova Esports slammed the door shut in the final group stage match. Before that, a narrow mathematical path still existed: All Gamers pulled off a shocking upset over FunPlus Phoenix, the most unlikely piece of the puzzle, yet it happened. Wolves then needed to beat Nova (they didn’t), and finally, Xi Lai Gaming had to defeat Dragon Ranger Gaming, another result that didn’t fall in their favor.
Now, Wolves’ qualification for Champions is out of their control. Their only hope lies in at least two of BLG, EDG, or XLG reaching the Stage 2 Grand Finals while also relying on Trace Esports being eliminated early or failing to finish in the top four.
DRG & XLG
The two Ascension teams now head into the playoffs with everything on the line—this is a career-defining moment for both sides. To secure their spot in VCT CN beyond this year, they must qualify for Champions Paris. If they fall short, they’ll have to return to VCT Ascension CN and defend their slot, though both would likely be heavy favorites to requalify.
With a solid lead in circuit points and a deeper position in the bracket, Xi Lai Gaming currently have the upper hand in the race to Champions Paris. However, if Dragon Ranger Gaming also qualify for Paris, it could all come down to which team places higher, assuming both teams make it.
FPX
FunPlus Phoenix have looked much more solid compared to Stage 1, thanks to the return of Zhang “BerLIN” Bolin and the addition of former BLEED coach Nikola “LEGIJA” Ninić. They have regained momentum, finishing the group stage with a 3-2 record. However, a crucial loss to All Gamers cost them the upper bracket advantage, resulting in a three-way tie with AG and DRG, which FPX ultimately lost out on.
While the path is tougher from the lower bracket, FPX still have a shot at securing one of the four Champions Paris spots. It won’t be easy, but their resurgence suggests they shouldn’t be counted out just yet.
AG & TYL
After going winless for over a year, All Gamers have finally turned a corner with a more structured approach and a stable starting five. Huang “K1ra” Zhihao and Yang “Shr1mp” Yong have emerged as consistent sources of firepower, while Xin “Spitfires” Mingyang adds much-needed stability to the team’s overall performance. They will begin their playoff run against a more manageable opponent in TYLOO.
TYLOO narrowly secured a playoff spot with a crucial win over JDG Esports on the final day of the group stage. The team continues to revolve around the performance of longtime core player Sun “SLOWLY” Kelun. However, Zhang “Scales” Zhen has started to look more comfortable, and the return of Li “sword9” Wei brings valuable experience back into the lineup.
Still, asking either side to make it all the way to Champions Paris remains a tall order. Both are dark horses in the race, and while their upper bracket starts give them some breathing room, a matchup with Bilibili Gaming after that stands as the biggest challenge. It will be the true test of how far their momentum can carry them.
The schedule for the playoffs of VCT CN Stage 2 looks as follows:
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Cover photo courtesy of VCT CN
