Valorant Radiant International 2025 has quietly become one of the most stacked off‑season events of the year, bringing together six top‑tier teams for a fast, high‑stakes invitational right before the holidays. The format rewards consistency and punishes slow starts, which makes this tournament especially interesting for Valorant fans who want to see how the big names close out 2025.
Teams and storylines to watch
The invited lineup features a strong mix of international firepower and rising Asian contenders:
- Paper Rex (Pacific powerhouse with deep Champions 2025 run)
- G2 Esports (fresh off a title at Red Bull Home Ground 2025)
- Gen.G (high ceiling, but inconsistent 2025 form)
- FunPlus Phoenix (FPX)
- Bilibili Gaming (BLG)
- Nova Esports
Paper Rex: the benchmark
Paper Rex comes in as the “expected” favorite for many fans. The team went deeper at the most recent Champions event than any of the other squads in this tournament, and its hyper‑aggressive style still defines the Pacific region’s identity.
Even so, Radiant International’s compact format and best‑of‑one heavy ranking stage mean that PRX will need to be sharp from map one. There’s very little room to warm up, and teams like G2 and Gen.G are more than capable of punishing early mistakes.
G2 Esports: peaking at the right time
G2 Esports enters Radiant International with some of the strongest momentum in the field. Earlier this quarter, G2 lifted the Red Bull Home Ground 2025 trophy, taking down NRG in convincing fashion and reminding everyone why this roster has been in the “best in the world” conversation for most of the year.
Even though G2’s mid‑2025 form dipped compared to its early highs, the current version looks much closer to that peak again. Strong calling, a deep agent pool, and comfort on big stages make G2 one of the most exciting teams to watch in this tournament—and a very realistic candidate to reach, if not win, the grand final.
Gen.G, FPX, BLG and Nova: danger in the pack
Gen.G is the definition of volatility heading into this event. The Korean side reached the top three at the 2025 Esports World Cup and showed genuine title potential in the first half of the year, but the second half has been rough. A 7th‑place finish in the last VCT Pacific stage and a brutal loss to Fnatic at the 2025 SOOP Valorant League have left fans wondering which version of Gen.G will show up.
FunPlus Phoenix and Bilibili Gaming haven’t produced the kind of headline‑grabbing results that Paper Rex, G2, or peak Gen.G have, but both Chinese squads are dangerous in best‑of‑one environments. They might not be tournament favorites, yet they’re exactly the kind of teams that can ruin someone’s seeding run with a well‑prepared upset. Nova Esports rounds out the field as the underdog, but its early games against PRX and G2 will give a quick read on how tight the skill gap really is.
Format: fast event, high pressure
Radiant International 2025 is designed to be short and intense, running over just a few days with very little downtime. That puts a premium on prep, stamina, and adaptability.
Ranking stage (December 18–19)
The tournament opens with a ranking stage that decides the entire playoff bracket:
- Each team plays four best‑of‑one matches against randomly drawn opponents.
- At the end of the stage:
- 1st place advances directly to the grand final.
- 2nd place skips to the semifinal.
- 3rd and 4th place start from the quarterfinals.
- 5th and 6th are eliminated.
This structure makes every map matter. A single off day can turn a potential title run into an early exit, while a clean 3–1 or 4–0 record can essentially buy a free ticket to championship Sunday.
Day 1 – December 18 (Ranking stage)
- Nova Esports vs Paper Rex – 1 a.m. ET
- FunPlus Phoenix vs Paper Rex – 2 a.m. ET
- FunPlus Phoenix vs Gen.G – 3 a.m. ET
- BLG vs Gen.G – 4 a.m. ET
- BLG vs G2 Esports – 5 a.m. ET
- Nova Esports vs G2 Esports – 6 a.m. ET
Day 2 – December 19 (Ranking stage)
- Nova Esports vs FunPlus Phoenix – 1 a.m. ET
- G2 Esports vs FunPlus Phoenix – 2 a.m. ET
- G2 Esports vs Gen.G – 3 a.m. ET
- Paper Rex vs Gen.G – 4 a.m. ET
- Paper Rex vs BLG – 5 a.m. ET
- Nova Esports vs BLG – 6 a.m. ET
From a fan’s point of view, days one and two are packed with bangers: G2 vs Gen.G, Paper Rex vs Gen.G, and the PRX vs BLG matchup all offer real tests of form and style.
Once the ranking stage ends, the event immediately shifts into a knockout bracket.
December 20 – Quarterfinal and semifinal
- Quarterfinal (3 a.m. ET): 3rd vs 4th from the ranking stage
- Semifinal (5 a.m. ET): Quarterfinal winner vs 2nd from the ranking stage
Both series are best‑of‑three, which gives teams more time to adapt mid‑series but still keeps the margin for error small. For fans, this is where map pool depth, clutch factor, and coaching prep really start to show.
December 21 – Grand final
- Grand final (5 a.m. ET): 1st from the ranking stage vs semifinal winner
The grand final is a best‑of‑five, giving both teams room to throw in pocket comps, comfort picks, and experimental looks. Whoever topped the ranking stage comes into this series with maximum rest, prep time, and confidence.
Who are the favorites for fans to watch?
This isn’t a betting preview, but if you’re a Valorant fan wondering which teams are most likely to define the story of Radiant International 2025, a few names naturally rise to the top:
- Paper Rex – The benchmark from Champions, still one of the most entertaining and explosive teams in the world.
- G2 Esports – Just won Red Bull Home Ground 2025 and seems to be peaking again at exactly the right time.
- Gen.G – Inconsistent, but when the team hits its ceiling, it can hang with anyone in this lobby.
Behind them, FPX, BLG, and Nova are the chaos agents that can flip the script. Whether it’s an upset in a day‑one best‑of‑one or a deep surprise run from the quarterfinals, the format gives dark horses plenty of chances to shine.
For fans, that mix of elite favorites, volatile contenders, and hungry underdogs is exactly what makes Valorant Radiant International 2025 such a fun way to close out the year.