T1 eliminates JDG, confirms no more Chinese teams in Shanghai

It's official: VCT China did not win a single series at Champions Shanghai. T1 defeated JD Gaming 2-1, eliminating the fourth and final Chinese team from Shanghai before the group stage was fully completed. VCT China ended the tournament with 2 map wins and 16 map losses.

On Lotus, T1's map pick, JDG immediately showed strength on the attack. The double-Sentinel of Chamber and Vyse completely countered the solo Neon comp from T1, at least to begin. The star player who led JDG to a pistol win and a 6-4 lead was crownfisher , who ended the first half with 13 kills. Munchkin pulled T1 to a tied 6-6 score at the half, but JDG earned that ideal start to a second half with a pistol and bonus round conversion.

This time it was jkuro who stepped up, as JDG reached an 11-6 lead. In full control, JDG slowly faded as Meteor rose to the challenge of the comeback. Hitting sick flicks and winning an important 1v2, T1 completed the comeback without the need for overtime. Finishing Lotus 13-11, T1 barely took their map pick back, now moving to Abyss.

Abyss had to be a bounce back from JDG, and the double-Duelist with Harbor cooked against T1's Harbor-less double-Duelist. Taking the first pistol and holding strong on defense, zhe on Yoru stood out as JDG entered the half up 9-3.

zhe catches T1 off guard on Abyss defense.

A second pistol win with a bonus conversion ended Abyss as fast as it began, with JDG earning a 13-3 score and a third map to try and keep China alive in Shanghai.

Haven was the decider, with T1 surprising everyone by running Munchkin on Phoenix. JDG opted for the double-Duelist, keeping jkuro on Waylay and moving zhe to Neon, which seemed to be a great choice after a strong pistol round win. Yet, as both teams gained rifles, T1 always attacked the B site, and JDG struggled to adapt to it. Despite winning pistol, JDG saw themselves down 8-4 at the half and needed that second pistol to stay afloat.

Alas, it wasn't meant to be, as BuZz and T1 converted the pistol, overcame the force rounds from JDG, and won the needed 1v1s to convert the map 13-5 and the series 2-1.

From the Press Room

JDG BerLIN on overall team performance in 2026: "It is a rollercoaster for us, but after I joined the team, it's always been on the up. For the team, we've got newcomers to internationals, so maybe the overall team performance wasn't that pitiful. As someone who has played in a lot of internationals, I was pitiful."

JDG bail on their Champions run: "I've been coaching in China for three years now. I can see growth from our players, but I think it was my issue of not helping them change those bad habits or helping them grow enough."

T1 Munchkin on playing Phoenix: "Finally, I proved to myself that I am ready for Phoenix."

T1 stax on the upcoming FUT matchup: "We practiced a lot against teams that play similarly to FUT, so we feel prepared. Fans can look forward to the match against FUT."

Up next

Champions Shanghai will continue with the four remaining decider matches.

• G2 Esports vs. Team Liquid (Group C Decider)
• Karmine Corp vs. Nongshim RedForce (Group D Decider)
• LOUD vs. Global Esports (Group B Decider)
• FUT Esports vs. T1/JD Gaming (Group A Decider)