With the release of the VCT structure and the Ascension League, Riot Games radically altered the Valorant competitive scene.
However, the company’s new franchise system has altered which clubs are eligible to compete in the tournament beginning in 2023, despite the event’s otherwise familiar format.
With regard to the VCT, the championship will feature 30 teams representing three different zones. Others from these areas will participate in regional tournaments to earn a berth in the Valorant Ascension League.
The inaugural league for these teams will be the Challengers league, which will be divided in half. Each of the 21 Challengers leagues will have two splits consisting of multiple weeks of regular season play. Only the best Challengers teams will advance to the next round, Ascension.
There will be three different regions in Challengers Ascension: the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific. One team from each of those areas will advance to play in the international league for their country when the Challengers Ascension competition concludes.
The worldwide league is expected to gradually add teams beginning in 2024. There will be a total of 42 teams in the international league by the year 2027. As of the year 2026, we’ll be promoting two clubs annually instead of one to the top international leagues.
That means that until the year 2026, one domestic team will be promoted to the top level of competition abroad every year. Starting in 2027, the league will add two teams every year until it reaches its maximum of 14 teams.
Riot’s in-game tournament feature, open qualification Challengers events, Challengers Ascension, and the worldwide league will make competitive VALORANT esports exciting.
The door is still wide open for any VALORANT player who has sights set on the very highest levels of VCT competition. Riot is implementing a new type of in-game event that goes beyond ranked play; this tournament will have a direct connection to VCT and will likely serve as a direct qualifier for the Champions tournament.
For those who don’t make it through in-game competition, there will always be open qualifications for Challengers tournaments. Participation in a particular Challengers event is determined by a player’s region, one of 21 subregions within three bigger regions. Challengers’ top teams advance to their region’s Ascension competition.
