As the inaugural Valorant Champions Tour season nears its conclusion with Valorant Champions in Berlin, Riot Games have now outlined how the esports circuit will take shape for VCT 2022.
Team Liquid are preparing to take on Acend and Gambit are set to lock horns with KRÜ Esports in Valorant Champions 2021, the season-ending event that effectively serves as the world championship for Riot’s hero shooter.
Valorant esports’ debut season may not be over yet, but players, organizations, and fans alike can already start mapping out their schedule for 2022 with the roadmap for the Champions Tour.
The circuit will span Asia, Europe, North America, and South America, and give Valorant Game Changers — an initiative for the best women players in the game — its very own global event. So, how exactly will the season look?
Valorant Champions Tour 2022 details
The Valorant Champions Tour in 2022 will be familiar to those who’ve followed the events throughout 2021, though Riot have indeed made some alterations and additions after a year of trial and error.
VCT will retain its three-tier system of Challengers, Masters, and Champions, though the bottom tier will receive some changes. A new format will be introduced that increases the number of matches played between the top regional teams while also employing an “easier to follow schedule.”
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Each Challenger split will have one open qualifier, leading into multiple weeks of competition and culminating in a “large” tournament to name a champion and qualify teams into Master events.
Perhaps the biggest change sees Riot launch a new tournament series that takes place after a season ends and a new one begins. They will work with third-party tournament organizers to produce events for both proven and unproven talent.
“In 2022, we’re going to double down on our efforts by launching a new global tournament that will feature the best teams from Game Changers programs around the world,” said Riot’s head of esports operations, Whalen Rozelle.
“This event will bring the best teams together into a single, massive competition for the first time. We’re thrilled to take this next step to grow VALORANT into the social experience our players deserve.”