Paper Rex open Champions Shanghai against Liquid on 24 September

Paper Rex begin their Champions Shanghai campaign against Team Liquid on 24 September at 5pm Malaysian time. The best-of-three is an opening match in Group C, according to the current match listing on VLR.gg.

Riot’s format gives the opener immediate weight. Sixteen teams enter four groups, each containing one team from Americas, China, EMEA and Pacific. Only eight advance. Two series losses in the group stage end a team’s tournament.

Both teams have won this matchup on a global stage

Their recent international history offers a useful comparison without deciding this result. Paper Rex beat Liquid 2–1 at Masters Toronto in June 2025. Liquid won their Champions 2022 meeting by the same score. Those were different events and lineups; neither score guarantees how this series will play out.

The group stage runs from 24 September to 4 October. Surviving teams move into double-elimination playoffs from 7 to 18 October, with the grand final on 18 October. For PRX, the first task is getting through a group where there is room to recover from one loss.

Pick’Ems are also available on mobile

Riot is bringing Champions Pick’Ems to Riot Mobile for the first time, alongside the web and VALORANT client. Group predictions are scheduled to lock at approximately 5:10pm Malaysian time on 24 September, ten minutes after the first match begins. Submit early and check the official page for the latest deadline and reward conditions.