PARIS: 100 Thieves claimed the Valorant trophy at the 2026 Esports World Cup in Paris with a 3-1 triumph over local rivals and reigning champions NRG Esports in the grand final.
The victory earned the team the $600,000 first-place prize and 1,000 Club Championship points. It also gave star player Peter “Asuna” Mazuryk his first major international trophy after more than five years with 100 Thieves, a club he joined when he was 17 and has stuck with for most of his professional Valorant career.
Now, after rebuilding the core of the team roster with exciting rookies, he finally has the international trophy he had been looking for.
“We have an amazing coaching staff, an amazing in-game leader and we just meshed really well, and it took us a while to get going but I’m glad we hit our peak right at the right time,” Mazuryk said.
100 Thieves grabbed the victory over Valorant Champions Tour Americas rivals NRG in overtime on the fourth map in the best-of-five final, after comfortable wins on the first two maps. NRG managed to prevent a sweep with a win on Haven, and after establishing a healthy 9-3 lead on the fourth map, Ascent, they looked likely to tie the final at 2-2 and force a fifth map decider. But 100 Thieves, led by rookie in-game leader Jordan “vora” Pulwer, pulled off a thrilling comeback to force overtime and end up the winners, 14-12.
“It’s amazing,” Pulwer said. “I’m glad my team had so much confidence in me; my team, my coaches, my boys. I wouldn’t be able to do this without their trust and I’m so happy that we’re here today in front of all of these people to show we’re a good-ass team.”
The path to the final for 100 Thieves began with two victories in the group stage that locked in their place in the knockout phase. They then defeated the star-studded MIBR.LOS in the quarterfinals, before taking down Masters Santiago winners Nongshim RedForce in the semifinals.
The Sony MVP award went to 100 Thieves player Matthew “Cryocells” Panganiban for his performance throughout the tournament, capped by a huge 65 kill/25 assist performance in the final.
“It feels really good,” Panganiban said. “I still feel like I didn’t perform to my own expectations but it’s been so long that I haven’t won a trophy yet, and I had many doubts throughout my career. But at the end of the day, never stop believing in yourself and the people around you.”
Nongshim RedForce, the only team from the Pacific region to reach the knockout phase, took third place after two close games against BBL Esports. Although they ended up fourth, BBL put on quite the show for fans in Paris, with 18-year-old Yusuf “Lar0k” Kanber in particular having an incredible tournament and showing many signs of potential future greatness.
