100 Thieves emerged victorious at Red Bull Home Ground after battling it out against Cloud9 in an electric Grand Final today. The official off-season VALORANT tournament was broadcast live from the historic Victoria Warehouse in the buzzing city of Manchester, England.
For the first time in Red Bull Home Ground history, teams from the Americas were eligible to enter and face off against the top EMEA teams in front of a live audience. This brought explosive match-ups, reigniting fierce overseas rivalries and testing the strength of new team rosters ahead of the 2023 Official VALORANT Championship Tournament. The thrilling Grand Final saw 100 Thieves and Cloud9 go head-to-head to stake their claim as the best VALORANT team, having battled through eight of the most elite rosters from across the globe.
The presence of the North American teams tested the mettle of their EMEA rivals, as 100 Thieves secured its place in the semi-finals after coming out undefeated in the group stages and knocking out the French esports organisation Team Vitality in the first semi-final contest. The South American team KRÜ Esports also made waves, as they displayed the strength of their newly established roster against Team Liquid, kicking the defending champions out at the quarter-finals.
Broadcast live from the Victoria Warehouse in the vibrant city of Manchester, the space for the Red Bull Home Ground was transformed into a one-of-a-kind immersive space stylised after a futuristic, cyberpunk aesthetic and boasted magnificent displays from professional VALORANT cosplayers. This year the tournament ramped up proceedings at the official off-season VALORANT tournament, which hosted hundreds of fans in the live audience and broadcasted live on Twitch and YouTube to a global audience. To amp up the excitement within the VALORANT community, Red Bull Home Ground also hosted official viewing parties across the UK, located at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in London and Pixel Bar in Manchester and Leeds.
Kicking off with the Group Stages on Friday, there was an eruptive start to the tournament as 100 Thieves flexed their gaming muscles and advanced to the semi-finals undefeated. Cloud9 proved the strength of their new roster as they swept through Group B and secured their own spot in the semi-finals.
For the first semi-final, the NA giants 100 Thieves faced the last EMEA team left standing in the tournament, Team Vitality. In the first map, Pearl, Team Vitality stepped up to the challenge, losing narrowly by two. However, in Fracture, 100 Thieves were able to re-assert their dominance and swept the French team out of the competition, going through to the Grand Finale with a 2-0 win.
The final day began with an exhilarating second semi-final battle between Cloud9 and KRÜ Esports, where KRÜ had initially come out strong in the first few rounds. However, the Argentine team could not hold off the North Americans for long, as Cloud9 began to dominate before progressing through to the Grand Final.
With the stage set, the Grand Final started in pulse-racing fashion, with 100 Thieves inching ahead of Cloud9 with a three-point difference in the first map, Bind. In the second round, 100 Thieves began to fracture Cloud9’s dreams of becoming the next Red Bull Home Ground Champions as they stole the second round effortlessly. By the third round, 100 Thieves had expertly identified Cloud9’s strategy and denied them the chance for a comeback as they defeated them mercilessly 13-3 to claim the Red Bull Home Ground trophy.
Following the win, Matthew “Cryocells” Panganiban from 100 Thieves commented: “Bringing home the team’s first international title is great for us as Red Bull Home Ground has acted as a great proving ground for 100 Thieves ahead of the 2023 VCT. It’s been great to prove anyone wrong who has underestimated 100 Thieves and to play with a group of people that are my friends…I love these guys.”
Elevating the tournament, renowned VALORANT host Yinsu Collins returned to Red Bull Home Ground and led the competition alongside her star-studded lineup of broadcasting talent, including Mitch “Mitchman” McBride, Tom “Tombizz” Bissmire, Ryan “RyanCentral” Horton, Adam “Dinko” Hawthorne and Adam Savage. Beatriz “kaquka” Alonso and Connor “Sliggy” Blomfield also provided insight and commentary throughout the tournament. Red Bull Home Ground also featured special guest appearances from G2 Gozen, bringing their trademark expertise and strategic knowledge to every matchup.
