Valorant fans hail the VCT Masters Madrid finale as one of the best final match-ups ever, as the thrilling five-map showdown between Sentinels and Gen.G. rakes in 1.6 million viewers worldwide.
Valorant has steadily risen in esports as one of history’s most awaited professional gaming events. Given Riot Games’ first-person shooter’s growing playerbase and popular teams in and out of the scene, many eager eyes tune in to the Valorant Competitive Tour.
While VCT Regional events have consistently performed in ratings, it is still up to the international tourneys to rake in the most viewers for the season. The recently concluded VCT Masters Madrid proved the growing reach of Valorant’s pro scene, as it tallied the highest viewership of any Valorant pro event to date.
The electrifying five-map finale showdown between America’s Sentinels and Pacific’s Gen.G raked in a total of 1,665,193 views across all platforms, shattering the record previously held by VCT Champions 2022 between OpTic and LOUD.
Sentinels completes redemption arc in VCT Masters Madrid
While every international LAN event of Valorant is sure to rake in the most viewers per year, this event was remarkable, particularly for long-time fans of the sport.
Sentinels were the first team to bag an international Valorant trophy, but further success has been elusive for the red jerseys since their 2021 Masters Reykyavik win.
It is almost an understatement to call Sentinels one of the most popular teams in Valorant history, with only Brazil’s LOUD and Pacific’s Paper Rex as close equivalents. Sentinels’ long-time star player, TenZ, has 1.4 million followers on X, which is higher than any professional Valorant player.
Given the popularity of Sentinels and the ideal timezone of the VCT Masters Madrid for every Valorant enthusiast worldwide, the finale showdown expectedly skyrocketed to the top of any VCT event’s viewership rankings.
Meanwhile, the top concurrent viewership for the VCT Masters Madrid finale was recorded on Turkish and Sentinels’ streamer, Tarik, with over 300k concurrent viewers on the fifth map do-or-die on Icebox.
But even if the teams are devoid of a huge playerbase, the sensational best-of-five maps showdown between Gen.G and Sentinels earned praises from fans and pro players alike, with some hailing the matchup as the “best finals” fight in Valorant history.
While the hype from VCT Masters Madrid is still yet to die, Valorant fans can expect another treat from their favorite pros.
The VCT regional tournament will start in the second week of April. All partnered teams from each region will get another shot to prove their strength and qualify for the next VCT Masters of the year, which will be held this May in Shanghai, China.