Esport MeLOUD stun NRG to set up Vitality rematch at VCT Champions
A 2-1 upset over NRG sends LOUD into the VCT Champions 2026 upper-bracket final against Team Vitality, the only side to have beaten them in Shanghai.
LOUD beat NRG 2-1 in Saturday's VCT Champions 2026 upper-bracket semi-final, setting up a rematch with Team Vitality while NRG are pushed into the lower bracket, Esports Insider reported.
The win gives LOUD a second crack at the only team to have beaten them so far at the tournament. NRG's roster includes British player Keiko, who remains alive but now needs to win out through the lower bracket.
LOUD took the opening map in 46 minutes. NRG hit back to level the series with a 49-minute win on map two, the longest game of the tie. LOUD then closed it out on the decider in 36 minutes.
The result extends LOUD's run to three straight victories at Champions. They opened the event with a 2-0 win over EDward Gaming, lost 0-2 to Vitality, then beat Global Esports and Paper Rex 2-0 apiece before getting past NRG.
NRG's own streak snapped at three. They had beaten Nongshim RedForce 2-0, Karmine Corp 2-1 and T1 2-0 on their way to the semi-final, but the defeat shifts their route through the bracket rather than ending their tournament.
LOUD now meet Vitality in the upper-bracket final after Vitality saw off G2 Esports 2-0. NRG join a lower-bracket field that also features T1 and 100 Thieves, both of whom won their opening lower-bracket matches, with 100 Thieves beating Nongshim RedForce 2-1 and T1 beating Paper Rex by the same scoreline.
NRG are set to face T1 again, having already beaten them 2-0 in the earlier upper-bracket quarter-final.
Ratings published before the match underlined the scale of the upset. NRG entered ranked 12th in Esports News UK's Elo power rankings, carrying a 1,791 rating and a 73-36 record from 109 rated games, as cited by Esports Insider. LOUD sat 51st, rated 1,672, with a 29-37 mark across 66 matches.
The two sides had split their four previous 2026 meetings before Saturday, meaning LOUD now hold back-to-back wins over NRG.
LOUD's clash with Vitality repeats an earlier group-stage tie, which Vitality won 2-0. The rematch is scheduled for Friday 16 October, with Champions due to conclude on 18 October. The winner advances straight to the grand final; the loser must fight through the lower bracket for another chance.