The climactic ending to the first phase of the VALORANT Champions Tour is upon us; the Masters. Across the world, the best VALORANT teams from each region have advanced through Challengers events to reach this point. With these events comes the first opportunity for teams to earn circuit points, which are pivotal to advancing to VCT Champions. Champions is the final stage of the VCT, essentially the first world championship for VALORANT.
We look ahead to the VCT 2021 finale, Champions. Image via Riot Games.
But how exactly will teams qualify for Champions? How many teams from each region will be represented? And how will the switch from regional events to an international LAN affect qualification? Let us answer all these questions and more for you.
How many teams will play at Champions?
16 teams will compete at the Champions event at the end of the 2021 VCT campaign. 11 of these teams will be the leaders in circuit points from the various regions. Four teams will be from last chance qualifiers from each region. Finally, the one team that wins the Masters 3 international event will directly qualify for Champions.
These teams should expect to meet at the end of November and play through the beginning of December in a LAN setting. The location has not yet been announced.
How can teams advance via circuit points?
The top team, or top two teams in some cases, with the most VCT circuit points from each of the primary regions will advance to Champions Tour. The top two teams from North America, Brazil, and Southeast Asia will earn a spot. For Southeast Asia, this field combines the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. In addition, for VCT, the regions of Europe, CIS, and Turkey will be combined, and this EMEA super region will contribute two teams to Champions via circuit points. Finally, the regions of Korea, Japan, and Latin America will each send the singular top team in circuit points to Champions.
Teams will earn circuit points via their regional Masters events, and eventually, the international events. For the first set of regional events, the points will be distributed based on the team’s final place at Masters 1. For regions fielding eight teams at Masters, the points will be distributed the same, although some regions are using different format types. 100 points go to first place, 70 to second, and 45 to both third and fourth. 5th and 6th place will claim 20 points each, and 7th and 8th will each win 10 points.
10 teams will compete when the Masters switches to an international format at Masters 2 in Reykjavik, Iceland. So far, there’s been no word on how many points will be available or how they’ll be distributed. With at most only two spots available from each region at Masters 2, this puts a ton of pressure on teams to earn as many points as possible at Masters 1. Originally, the plan was for 16 teams to compete at an international Masters event. We’ll see if that changes for Masters 3.
How will the Last Chance qualifiers work?
Little is known about the format or amount of teams competing at the Last Chance Qualifiers. All we know is that there are four total; one for North America, one for EMEA (Europe-Turkey-CIS), one for South America (Brazil and LATAM), and one for Asia (Japan-Korea-SEA). It’s unclear at this point how many teams will compete in each of the qualifiers. As for a date, all we know is that the Last Chance qualifiers would take place after Masters 3 and obviously before VCT Champions.
So how many teams from each region will be there?
The full distribution of VALORANT teams competing at VCT Champions. Image via Riot Games.
Three teams will represent North America; two from having the most circuit points, and one from the Last Chance qualifier. Four teams will represent all of South America; two from Brazil for most circuit points, one from Latin America for most circuit points, and one from either via the Last Chance qualifier. Three teams will represent the combined region of Europe-Turkey-CIS: two from leading in circuit points and one from the Last Chance qualifier. Five teams will represent all of Asia: one from Japan, one from Korea, and two from Southeast Asia through circuit points, and one from the Last Chance qualifier.
The sixteenth and final team will be the winner of the final international Masters event in September. This team could be from any region.
