Acend won the first Valorant Champions tournament in 2021.
The inaugural Champions event was held in Berlin, Germany, from 1 to 12 December 2021. Acend defeated Gambit Esports 3–2 in the grand final, taking Valorant’s first official world championship title.
The final went the distance across five maps. Acend’s roster included zeek, cNed, Kiles, starxo and kolda, with cNed widely recognized as one of the tournament’s standout duelists. The victory established Acend as the first champion of Riot Games’ global Valorant championship circuit.
Valorant Champions is distinct from the earlier regional Masters events. Masters tournaments were major international competitions during the season, but Champions was the year-ending world championship. Later winners included LOUD in 2022 and Evil Geniuses in 2023.