Paper Rex Rally Past G2 To Seal Champions Shanghai Playoff Spot
Paper Rex beat G2 Esports 2-1 in Shanghai on September 29, 2026, rallying from a map down to win the Group C winners' match at VALORANT Champions and lock in the tournament's first automatic playoff spot out of the Groups Stage, a result that will move esports betting markets ahead of the October 7 knockout rounds.
The Singapore-based side dropped the opening map, Split, 13-9, then reeled off Haven 13-11 and Lotus 13-9 to close out the best-of-three.
G2 opened strongly, out-gunning Paper Rex on their Split pick for a 1-0 series lead in the match, played at Shanghai's Jing'an Sports Center. Paper Rex responded on their own Haven pick, closing it out 13-11, before taking the Lotus decider 13-9 to complete the comeback.
The result extends a head-to-head run against G2 that Paper Rex have not lost since 2024, a rivalry that has repeatedly produced tight series across this year's international events.
How Both Sides Got Here
Paper Rex fielded the same core that carried them through the opening round: f0rsakeN, Jinggg, d4v41, invy and something, who beat Team Liquid 2-1 on September 24 to reach the winners' match.
G2 countered with leaf, babybay, valyn, jawgemo and trent, the lineup that had swept TYLOO 2-0 in the same round.
Sixteen teams from the Americas, China, EMEA and Pacific regions are competing at Champions Shanghai for the 2026 World Championship, according to Riot Games' own tournament coverage, running from September 24 to October 18 across two stages.
Paper Rex, representing the Pacific region, is now one of the first teams through to the Playoffs, with three more group deciders still to be settled before the full eight-team bracket locks in.
Why The Win Matters For Group C
VALORANT Champions Shanghai's Groups Stage runs as four double-elimination mini-brackets. Teams are out once they lose twice, and two of the four sides in each group advance to the Playoffs, which start on October 7 and run through October 18.
Winning the winners' match sends a team straight through, making Paper Rex the first side out of Group C to confirm a playoff berth.
G2 now drop into the group's decider match against the winner of Team Liquid's elimination game against TYLOO, with that result deciding Group C's second and final playoff spot.
Casino Games Hub
The Betting Angle
For bettors and operators tracking the road to the Shanghai Playoffs, the result carries weight beyond bracket seeding.
Paper Rex head into the near three-week gap before the knockout rounds with a confirmed Playoffs berth and momentum from a reverse sweep of a divisional rival, the kind of form line that tends to move markets once sportsbooks post odds for the October 7 bracket. G2, by contrast, must win a decider just to keep their own Champions campaign alive.
Team Liquid face TYLOO in Group C's elimination match, with the winner meeting G2 for the group's second playoff spot.
Paper Rex's own Playoffs opponent will not be known until the Groups Stage wraps up on October 4, when all four groups have settled their seeding ahead of the October 7 knockout rounds back in Shanghai.
