VCT 2022 EMEA Challengers format explained

The VALORANT pro year is heating up as the VALORANT Champions Tour regional qualifiers end and the winners of these qualifiers are teamed up against one another. The first big international tournament of 2022, VCT EMEA Challengers 1 starts Feb. 11, albeit with a format that some people are unaware of. If you’re one of these people, this is the article for you.

VCT EMEA group stage

Before we get into the details of the group stage, let’s look at the groups first.

Group A

• Gambit Esports – Invited
• Team Liquid – Invited
• BIG – EU Closed Qualifiers 1
• FunPlus Phoenix – CIS Closed Qualifiers 1
• LDN UTD – EU Closed Qualifiers 2
• Natus Vincere – CIS Closed Qualifiers 2

Group B

• Fnatic – Invited
• Acend – Invited
• SuperMassive Blaze – TR Closed Qualifiers 1
• Guild Esports – EU Closed Qualifiers 1
• BBL Esports – TR Closed Qualifiers 2
• G2 Esports –  EU Closed Qualifiers 2

These teams will play in a round-robin format for five weeks, with two matches on three days each week. This will run from Feb. 11 through March 13. All group matches will be best-of-three. Once group matches end, the top three teams from each group will succeed to playoffs, with the first teams receiving a one-round bye. The last team in each group will be relegated to VCT promotions.

Playoffs

The playoffs stage will start with the second and third teams of opposing groups playing against each other. The winners of these series will play against the top teams of the groups while the losers go down to the losers bracket. From then on, it’s the classic double-elimination bracket system. All matches during playoffs are best-of-three, with the exceptions of lower bracket finals and the grand finals, which will be best-of-fives. The amount of cash prizes, VCT circuit points and people who will advance to Stage 1 Masters are not announced yet, so stay tuned for those details.

That’s all you need to know about EMEA Challengers format for now. This year we’ve seen a lot of changes in tournament formats, but it’s best to trust the process and keep updated. So sit back, enjoy the show and, if you have any questions, you can always come back here.