VCT EMEA Stage 1

VCT EMEA Stage 1 kicks off around March and runs until April, marking the start of an intense battle in one of the strongest regions on the Valorant Champions Tour. Held at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin, the tournament features 12 teams—10 partner teams and two who qualified via Ascension. With crucial VCT points on the line and a path through the Stage 1 Playoffs to Masters Toronto and, ultimately, Champions Paris, the stakes couldn’t be higher. We believe fans are in for some unforgettable matchups as EMEA continues to demonstrate its strength in professional Valorant. Hotspawn will deliver comprehensive coverage, ensuring you don’t miss any of the action.

Last month’s conclusion of Masters Bangkok means that the VCT is headed back to regional play and details around EMEA’s Stage 1 have just been released.

Which teams are participating at VCT EMEA Stage 1?

The same 12 EMEA teams will be taking part as they did in EMEA Kickoff which are:

VCT EMEA 2025 Stage 1 Format

Similar to Stage 1 of 2024, the league will be split into two groups; Group Alpha and Group Omega. Each group will hold six teams who will complete a single-round robin.</span>

The top four teams from each group will reach the playoffs; a double-elimination bracket whereby seeding is determined by Group stage placing.

First seeds will get a bye to round two of the playoffs upper bracket, while seeds two and three will face each other in the first round. Fourth seeds will begin their playoffs journey in the lower bracket, facing the losers of the upper bracket clashes between the second and third seeds.

The lower bracket final and grand final will be decided through best-of-fives, while the rest of the playoffs will use best-of-threes. The top-three places teams will earn a spot at Masters Toronto.

VCT EMEA Stage 1 Dates

The VCT EMEA Stage 1 groups are set to begin on Wednesday, March 26th and will run for five weeks each with three game days, ending on Friday, April 25th.

Playoffs will then start on Thursday, May 8th, its first phase running until Sunday, May 11th. After a show break, playoffs will pick back up on Friday, May 16th leading to a grand final on Sunday, May 18th.

The competition will be held in Berlin’s Riot Games Arena with tickets already on sale.

Stage 1 Map pool

Map pool updates will see the removal of Bind and Abyss and the addition of Icebox and Ascent. The map pool will remain the same throughout the entirety of Stage 1.

EMEA Championship Points

All-important Championship Points will be used later in the season to decide EMEA’s fourth and fifth VALORANT Champions representatives. Team Vitality currently leads the standings following their EMEA Kickoff victory.

VCT EMEA Stage 1 Schedule

VCT EMEA Stage 1 runs from around March to April, featuring a total of 22 matches played over 26 days. The full schedule and matchups are yet to be announced, but we’ll update this as more details become available.

VCT EMEA Stage 1 Bracket and Format

EMEA Stage 1’s format is double-elimination bracket, where all matches will be best of 3 with the exception of the lower and grand final which will be best of 5.

The pools will be announced closer to the time after the conclusion of Masters Bangkok to determine who will get a bye in the bracket.

Where can I stream VCT EMEA Stage 1?

You can watch the EMEA Stage 1 in English, French, Spanish, Turkish, Polish, Finnish and Ukrainian on Twitch and Youtube.

TWITCH

• English
• French
• Spanish
• Turkish
• Polish – Valorant League East
• Finnish – Esports Finland
• Ukrainian – Esports Maincast

YOUTUBE

• English
• Turkish
• Polish (VCT East)