T1 survives Paper Rex's comeback as 100 Thieves crush Nongshim

Background: elimination pressure in the lower bracket

The lower bracket at VALORANT Champions Shanghai put two matches on the line with no room for another slip. T1 and Paper Rex played a Pacific-versus-Pacific elimination fixture, while 100 Thieves faced Nongshim RedForce in another lower-bracket match. Both series were decided in three maps, and each winner kept its tournament run alive with a 2-1 result.

Development: T1 recover from a Summit deficit

The series opened on Lotus, where T1 took the first map 13-7. Paper Rex answered on Ascent, levelling the series with a 13-6 result. The decider on Summit followed a sharper arc: Paper Rex led 9-3 at half-time and also won the second-half pistol, but T1 recovered to close the map 13-11.

Initiator Ham "iZu" Woo-Joo led T1 through the final map and was the only player on his team to finish it with a positive kills, deaths and assists line, according to Sheep Esports. He was named the series Most Valuable Player after recording a 1.15 rating and 290 average combat score.

The result keeps T1 in the lower bracket after a match that could have ended its Champions run. T1’s route into the playoff stage followed a group-stage run that left little room for error, and Paper Rex’s elimination removes one of the Shanghai playoff field’s most prominent contenders.

Development: 100 Thieves close out Nongshim RedForce

100 Thieves also needed three maps to advance. The North American side won Split 13-5, then lost Sunset 9-13 as Nongshim RedForce forced a decider.

The third map was far less competitive. On Ascent, 100 Thieves conceded only one round and finished 13-1. Sentinel Matthew "Cryocells" Panganiban earned series Most Valuable Player honours with a 1.41 rating and 253 average combat score as his team stayed alive in the lower bracket.

For 100 Thieves, the win preserved a path forward after earlier upper-bracket results had placed the team in the lower bracket. For Nongshim RedForce, the defeat ended its chance to reach the tournament final.

Latest: regional picture and next matches

Sheep Esports reported that the Pacific region and the Europe, Middle East and Africa region each have only their fourth seed left as a regional representative, with the other remaining teams from the Americas. The shifting lineup reflects the regional spread across the playoff field after two teams were eliminated.

The schedule moves to the upper bracket on October 10, with G2 Esports against Team Vitality and NRG against LOUD. Both matches offer a place in the upper-bracket final. On October 11, 100 Thieves are set to face the loser of G2 Esports against Team Vitality, while T1 will meet the loser of NRG against LOUD.

The remaining matches will be streamed on the official VALORANT Champions Tour Twitch and YouTube channels. The lower-bracket results have narrowed the field, but T1 and 100 Thieves must continue through elimination matches to reach the tournament’s final stages.