Riot Games revealed the details about VCT 2023 and what’s to come in terms of format for the international leagues, their location and new tournaments on September 14.
The Valorant Champions Tour is getting a major overhaul in 2023 as Riot Games moves the esport to three 10-team international leagues. The developer has revealed the new format for the upcoming season which includes two splits, similar to League of Legends, along with one Masters event and Champions tournament.
The first split will traditionally begin in February with the second following in March or April, both will have eight weeks of competition. In 2023, however, Riot will forgo the first split and have all 30 partnered teams compete in a giant kick-off tournament in São Paulo, Brazil.
The team that wins the new tournament will earn their regional league an extra slot at the first Master event of the season.
The three international leagues, one for the Americas, EMEA and Pacific regions, will compete in Los Angeles, California, Berlin, Germany, and Seoul, South Korea respectively.
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The 2023 VCT format
The VCT Masters tournament will return in June with the best teams from each region in attendance. The top teams from each league from Masters will also earn direct qualification to Champions.
Last Chance Qualifiers will also return before Champions for each league as the best teams left from each league will fight for the last spot at the world championships. One spot will be given to each league in their respective LCQ tournaments for the Champions event which will kick off in August.
Challengers 2023 circuit details
The VCT 2023 announcement also included details on tier 2 Valorant in the form of Challengers. The Challengers circuit will run parallel to the two splits with the first split starting in January and the second in March.
The promotion tournament for these teams to get into the international leagues will coincide with the LCQ tournament in July.
