On the opening day of the Playoffs stage, FNC and DRX face off for a place in the Champions 2025 Upper Bracket.
Welcome to the opening day of the VALORANT Champions 2025 Playoffs. In an intense series, FNC and DRX go head-to-head for a chance to stay alive in the Upper Bracket. The victor of this matchup will advance to face the winner of Paper Rex vs. G2 Esports, one of the most anticipated encounters of the tournament.
Where to watch the Champions 2025
As always, you can watch the VALORANT Champions 2025 tournament on Riot Games’ official YouTube and Twitch channels. The matches start at 6 a.m. PT / 3 p.m. CEST.
If you’re at work or away from home and can’t catch the broadcast, don’t worry! Stay with us because we’ll bring you live scores and match recaps in real time. First, G2 Esports will face Paper Rex in the opening match of the day. Then, the spotlight moves to the exciting battle between FNATIC and DRX.
Match schedules
You can check all of the groups, match schedules, and more on the official esports.gg VALORANT Champions 2025 hub. The results will be updated daily. Stay tuned to catch the highlights and the best moments from the battle between RRQ and MIBR at Champions 2025.
FNC vs DRX at Champions 2025: Fierce rivalry
These two teams are well-acquainted rivals. Throughout VALORANT history, they’ve faced each other four times, meeting in every Champions edition. Back when DRX competed as Vision Strikers, they fell 2-1 to FNATIC. In Champions 2022, DRX returned the favor with a 2-1 victory. FNATIC reclaimed the win in Champions 2023, and in the most recent edition, DRX defeated the orange squad 2-0. Who will be the one winning in the Champions 2025 edition?
FNATIC qualified as the first seed of Group B, defeating both Bilibili Gaming and MIBR. On the other side, DRX qualified as the second seed after being defeated by NRG and winning twice against Team Liquid.
On Sept. 25, these two will be looking for a rematch to settle who will be the one going into the Upper Bracket run. The series will be a best-of-three (Bo3).
Maps
Teams Map 1: Haven Map 2: Ascent Map 3: Lotus | FNC vs DRX FNC 13 - 11 DRX FNC 8 - 13 DRX |
Agents
FNC pick FNC player DRX players DRX pick | Omen (G1) Omen (G2) Boaster MaKo Omen (G1) Omen (G2) | Sova (G1) Sova (G2) crashies BeYN Sova (G1) Sova (G2) | Yoru (G1) Yoru (G2) kaajak HYUNMIN Waylay (G1) Waylay (G2) | Viper (G1) Vyse (G2) Chronicle Flashback Neon (G1) Yoru (G2) | Killjoy (G1) Sage (G2) Alfajer free1ng Cypher (G1) Vyse (G2) |
FNC vs DRX at Champions 2025: Match recaps
Be sure to check back here for all the match highlights as the action unfolds.
Map 1
The opening map was a nightmare for FNATIC and their fans. Disjointed and out of sync, the team was swept aside by a confident DRX. But after halftime, the match flipped on its head. DRX suddenly looked sluggish on their own map pick, while FNC stormed back with six straight rounds, as if the roles had completely reversed. We can now safely call them the comeback kings, as FNATIC came back from a 2-10 result to a 13-11 victory. As Boaster said, "We are not losing today, boys."
Map 2
The second map proved far more balanced, with the first half playing out almost round for round. Still, FNATIC carried an air of confidence throughout the game, riding the momentum of the series. Securing the pistol round after halftime gave them the edge they needed to take control and pull ahead. However, DRX came fresh from the pause between the games and ended up winning seven rounds in a row, leading to their victory on Ascent.
Map 3
That's all for now. Stick around for more VALORANT news, guides, and updates on esports.gg.
