Team Liquid vs Paper Rex Betting Predictions
Team Liquid and Paper Rex will face off on Thursday, September 24, in the first round of Group C at VALORANT Champions 2026, in their first meeting of the season.
This promises to be an entertaining game between two very strong teams. But there are more reasons this is a must-watch match for esports fans.
Team Liquid travel to China in good form, having recently finished VCT EMEA Stage 2 in second place, a noticeable improvement from their earlier-season performances. On the other side, Paper Rex dominated the VALORANT scene early in the year, but have cooled down significantly of late, struggling to find any success in Pacific Stage 2 and the Esports World Cup.
While form is an issue, Paper Rex have shown much higher highs than Liquid, and are, unlike Liquid, a more proven team on international stages.
- Paper Rex have accomplished a lot more this season
- Team Liquid are in better form
- Paper Rex are expected to step it up
First Clash of 2026
Team Liquid and Paper Rex have yet to meet this season.
Where to Watch Team Liquid vs Paper Rex Live?
To watch the match between Team Liquid and Paper Rex at VALORANT Champions 2026, visit any esports streaming site and open official VCT channels. Alternatively, all top-rated bookmakers, including Stake, offer free streaming options for VALORANT matches, along with in-play markets.
- Visit Stake
- Register using promo code NEWBONUS or log in to your account
- Find VALORANT Champions 2026 markets under the VALORANT tab
- Watch the live stream and place in-play bets
Team Liquid Appear to Be in Good Shape
Team Liquid have had a volatile season, failing to find any consistency. They finished VCT EMEA Kickoff in third place, then struggled to perform in VALORANT Masters Santiago (ninth-10th), VCT EMEA Stage 1 (seventh-eighth), and the Esports World Cup qualifiers (seventh-eighth), before stepping up at the end of the season, with a silver medal from VCT EMEA Stage 2.
The more recent performances carry more weight, so it is fair to say that Liquid are in a fine spot to do some damage at VALORANT Champions. They, however, have had some shaky showings even in Stage 2, with defeats against FUT Esports, Karmine Corp, and Eternal Fire.
There is a world where Liquid are better than they’ve seemed this season. But they still have a lot to prove on the international stage.
| Date | Event | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 30 | VCT 2026 EMEA Stage 2 | Karmine Corp | 1-3 (L) |
| August 29 | VCT 2026 EMEA Stage 2 | FUT Esports | 3-0 (W) |
| August 28 | VCT 2026 EMEA Stage 2 | FireFlux Esports | 2-0 (W) |
| August 23 | VCT 2026 EMEA Stage 2 | ENTERPRISE esports | 2-0 (W) |
| August 22 | VCT 2026 EMEA Stage 2 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 2-1 (W) |
Team Liquid Squad & Team News
Team Liquid promoted GSR to the main roster at the start of the season.
- Ayaz "nAts" Akhmetshin
- Kamil "kamo" Frąckowiak
- Kimmie "Kicks" Laasner
- Nikita "trexx" Cherednichenko
- Ognjen "GSR" Bondžić
Paper Rex Are an Enigma
Paper Rex are a bit of an enigma. They looked like the clear best VALORANT team in the world early into the season, having placed third in Pacific Kickoff, second in VALORANT Masters Santiago and London, and won VCT Pacific Stage 1.
Things, however, have been downhill for Paper Rex since June. They crashed out of the Esports World Cup in 13th-16th place, and were hardly any more impressive in Pacific Stage 2, ending the latter in fifth-sixth place.
Paper Rex’s form ahead of VALORANT Champions is anything but inspiring. On the other side, this is one of the most experienced rosters in attendance, and as shown earlier in the year, their ceiling is very high.
The major question with Paper Rex is whether they can find their old form and perform as well as they did up until June.
| Date | Event | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 29 | VCT 2026 Pacific Stage 2 | VARREL | 1-2 (L) |
| August 28 | VCT 2026 Pacific Stage 2 | ONSIDE Gaming | 2-0 (W) |
| August 26 | VCT 2026 Pacific Stage 2 | Nongshim RedForce | 0-2 (L) |
| August 9 | VCT 2026 Pacific Stage 2 | VARREL | 0-2 (L) |
| July 31 | VCT 2026 Pacific Stage 2 | Team Secret | 2-0 (W) |
Paper Rex Squad & Team News
No changes for Paper Rex.
- Khalish "d4v41" Rusyaidee
- Jason "f0rsakeN" Susanto
- Ilia "something" Petrov
- Wang "Jinggg" Jing Jie
- Adrian "invy" Reyes