Student esports finalists set for showdown at British Esports 2024/25 Grand Finals in Sunderland

Finalists will gather at the National Esports Performance Campus to compete in titles including Overwatch 2 and VALORANT.

British Esports, the UK’s national body for esports, will host the 2024/25 Student Champs Grand Finals on 5 July at the National Esports Performance Campus in Sunderland.

The finals mark the conclusion of a season that saw close to 750 teams compete in over 13,000 matches, involving more than 3,000 students from across the country.

The tournament, open to students aged 12 and over, is the UK’s leading grassroots esports competition for secondary schools and colleges. The finals will feature matches in Overwatch 2, League of Legends, Rocket League, and VALORANT.

The Student Champs platform is increasingly integrated into formal education pathways. Over 65 percent of Further Education colleges now participate in weekly matches, and the tournament supports qualifications such as the BTEC in Esports and the new Esports Leadership Programme, studied by over 15,000 students globally.

Students from the College of Esports have also contributed to event production, applying learning from coursework to professional environments.

Chester King, president at British Esports, says: “We are incredibly proud of every student and team participating in this year's Student Champs. The growth in participation, level of competition, and dedication shown by these young athletes exemplify the power of esports in developing crucial life skills.”

Bootcamp access and team line-up

All finalists will receive access to a performance bootcamp at the National Esports Performance Campus ahead of the finals. Teams will train and prepare for their matches in the facility, which is designed to mirror professional esports environments.

Finalist matchups are as follows:

• Overwatch 2: Confetti Arrows (Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies) vs. Antares.eXe (Exeter College)

• League of Legends: Burnley Esports Elite LoL (Burnley College) vs. Croydon Prime (Croydon College)

• Rocket League: York Vikings (York College) vs. Ariel.eXe (Exeter College)

• VALORANT: GCS Owls NatVal (Gower College Swansea) vs. CONEL Cyphers Valorant (The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London)

Oneallsports will sponsor the MVP award, which will recognize individual players demonstrating standout performance and sportsmanship during the finals.