FunPlus Phoenix

Founding and Early Struggles in League of Legends

FunPlus Phoenix was officially established on 20 December 2017, following its parent company's acquisition of a spot in China's elite League of Legends Pro League. The inaugural roster featured players like top laner GimGoon, jungler Pepper, mid laner bing, bot laner Lwx, and support Crisp. The team's competitive debut was modest, placing between ninth and fifteenth at the 2017 Demacia Championship after a loss to Team WE in the group stage.

The 2018 season saw FPX struggle to find consistency. For the LPL Spring regular season, the team was placed in the league's western conference. Despite adding veteran mid laner Cool, FPX finished fifth in their conference with a 9–10 record and did not qualify for the playoffs. For the Summer Split, Chen 'Alex' Yu-ming replaced Pepper as the primary jungler. The team finished fourth in the conference with an 8–11 record, which was enough to qualify for playoffs as a lower seed. Their postseason run was brief, as they were defeated by JD Gaming in the first round.

The 2019 Roster Revamp and Domestic Success

In preparation for the 2019 season, FPX made two major signings that changed the team's trajectory. They added jungler Gao 'Tian' Tianliang and veteran mid laner Kim 'Doinb' Tae-sang. The impact was immediate. In the 2019 LPL Spring regular season, FPX finished first with a 13–2 record, earning an automatic bye to the semifinals. There, they suffered an upset loss to JD Gaming with a 2–3 scoreline. The team then played in the third place decider match, where they defeated Topsports Gaming 3–1.

Going into the 2019 LPL Summer Split without any roster changes, FPX replicated its regular season dominance by finishing first once again. This secured another automatic semifinal berth. In the semifinals, they defeated Bilibili Gaming 3–1. This victory qualified FPX for the LPL finals and, more importantly, guaranteed them a spot at the 2019 World Championship regardless of the finals outcome. A win would send them as China's first seed, while a loss would grant enough championship points to go as the second seed. FPX then faced three-time champions Royal Never Give Up in the finals and won 3–1, securing their first LPL title.

The 2019 World Championship Victory

At the 2019 World Championship main event, FPX was drawn into Group B alongside Splyce, J Team, and GAM Esports. The team advanced from the group stage as the first seed after defeating Splyce in a tiebreaker match. The knockout stage saw FPX overcome significant challenges. In the quarterfinals, they defeated Fnatic, the previous year's runner-up. The semifinals presented a matchup against fellow LPL team and defending world champions Invictus Gaming. FPX emerged victorious, advancing to the grand finals in Paris.

In the finals, FPX faced European favorites G2 Esports. Demonstrating a commanding performance, FPX swept the series 3–0 to claim the Summoner's Cup. This victory marked the organization's first international title and was the second World Championship win for China's LPL region. The team's success was recognized at the 2019 China LoL of the Year Awards, where FPX won the award for best team.

Post-Championship Era and LPL Exit

Following the world championship, FPX looked to strengthen its roster for the 2020 season. The organization signed two-time LCK champion top laner Kim 'Khan' Dong-ha from T1. Additionally, three players were promoted from FPX's academy team to the main roster. After several more years of competition in China's top league, FPX and the LPL issued a joint announcement on 17 November 2025 stating that the organization would be withdrawing from the LPL.

The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Project

FPX announced its entry into Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on 15 March 2020 by signing the former Danish roster of Heroic. This lineup included Snappi, cadiaN, b0RUP, es3tag, and Stavn, coached by LOMME. The venture faced an immediate setback when player es3tag left to join Astralis after just one match in the Flashpoint league's Phase 1, forcing FPX to forfeit a subsequent match.

For Phase 2 of the same league, FPX fielded a different team, the North American squad Bad News Bears. This roster consisted of dapr, ptr, Jonji, mitch, and crashies. Accumulating 65 points, this iteration of FPX advanced to the quarterfinals. They lost their first match to MAD Lions, dropping to the lower bracket where they were eliminated by Gen.G despite a strong individual performance from in-game leader dapr. This roster competed only for the inaugural season of Flashpoint.

In September 2020, FPX appointed Serbian manager Petar 'peca' Marković to build a new CS:GO team and manage both the CS:GO and VALORANT divisions. In January 2021, the organization confirmed the signing of four players from the former Godsent roster, with veteran Chris 'ChrisJ' de Jong announced as the fifth player the following day. In March 2021, it was reported that ChrisJ would be replaced by former ENCE player Miikka 'suNny' Kemppi. The Counter-Strike division was short-lived, as FPX announced on 5 November 2021 that it would be discontinued, with the last two players parting ways with the organization by April 2022.

Valorant Success and Regional Restructuring

FPX built its Valorant team from the CIS region to compete in the EMEA circuit. In 2022, the team won the VCT Stage 1 EMEA Challengers, earning qualification for the international Stage 1 Masters event in Reykjavík. However, they were unable to attend because travel restrictions, related to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and COVID-19 regulations, prevented their Russian and Ukrainian players from traveling.

The team's moment of triumph came at the 2022 VCT Stage 2 Masters in Copenhagen. Initially, the team was forced to play with a substitute, SEIDER from Alliance, because player SUYGETSU could not travel from Russia due to visa issues. After three matches, SUYGETSU received his visa and joined the team in Denmark. With its complete starting lineup, FPX proceeded to win the tournament, defeating the APAC team Paper Rex 3–2 in a close grand finals to secure the organization's first major Valorant title.

Later in 2022, the organization's application to join the Valorant Champions Tour's new franchise system was denied. In response, FPX released its entire CIS roster and established a new Valorant team in China.

Organization Profile and Sponsorships

As an organization owned by video game developer FunPlus, FPX has maintained a presence across several major esports titles since its founding. The organization has been supported by a range of commercial partners. Its sponsors have included automotive manufacturer BMW, office furniture company Herman Miller, livestreaming platform Huya Live, consumer electronics maker OPPO, and sportswear brand PUMA. Additional sponsors have been Oish, Cool Fish, and Bixin.