Riot Games Wins Sports Emmy for Valorant Champions 2024 Grand Final

Key insights

5 takeaways

01
Riot Games won the 2025 Sports Emmy for Outstanding Esports Championship Coverage for its production of the Valorant Champions 2024 Grand Final.
02
The award-winning broadcast featured the championship match between Edward Gaming and Team Heretics.
03
Riot Games secured the win over several major industry competitors, including the Call of Duty League, PGL for The International 2024, ESL FACEIT Group for the IEM Cologne 2024 Finals, and its own League of Legends Worlds 2024 Final coverage.
04
Leo Faria, Riot Games' Global Head of Valorant Esports and Valorant Champions Tour Commissioner, accepted the award on behalf of the company.
05
The Sports Emmy category for esports coverage was established in 2019, with Riot Games winning the inaugural award in 2020 for the League of Legends World Final.

Summary

Riot Games received the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Esports Championship Coverage at the 46th Annual Sports Emmy Awards held in May 2025. The accolade recognizes the production quality of the Valorant Champions 2024 Grand Final, which featured a competitive matchup between Edward Gaming and Team Heretics. This award highlights the company’s ongoing influence in the professional esports landscape and its commitment to high-level broadcast production.

The selection process involved competition against several prominent industry peers. Riot Games successfully outperformed other nominees, including the Call of Duty League for its 2024 Championship Weekend, PGL for The International 2024, the ESL FACEIT Group for the IEM Cologne 2024 Finals, and Riot’s own League of Legends esports division for its coverage of the 2024 World Final. The win underscores the scale of the operation, with leadership noting that over 1,000 personnel—including producers, broadcasters, on-air talent, and developers—contributed to the event's execution.

This recognition continues a trend of industry validation for Riot Games, which previously secured the inaugural Sports Emmy for esports coverage in 2020 for its work on the 2019 League of Legends World Final. The Sports Emmy category for esports was established in 2019, reflecting the growing integration of competitive gaming into the broader sports media ecosystem. By securing this award, Riot Games maintains its position as a leading entity in the production of global esports entertainment.