Thirty teams will take part in the VCT Kickoff tournament in February 2023. Who are you expecting to make it?
Last week Riot Games announced details of the Valorant Champions Tour 2023. The new esports format will see teams from all over the world competing in the premier Valorant tournament. Riot has announced a restructuring of the regions, new tournaments and a structure that is sure to bring a promising future to the FPS title.
In the pre-show event before the VCT Champs Grand finals today, Riot Games President of esports, John Needham revealed some interesting information. The VCT 2023 Kickoff event will take place in February with 30 teams. But it is still unknown which 30 teams will be a part of the event. Needham revealed that Riot will announce the participating teams next week.
This is the first time a Valorant event will feature 30 teams for one tournament. The kickoff event will take place in Sao Paolo, Brazil with the best teams in the world from February 14 - March 3, 2023.
I think we’re a little audacious with our kickoff tournament. We’ve never had 30 teams in one spot before. So that’s going to be incredible. Valorant’s such a global game. Being able to take our show to different places around the world, starting with Sao Paolo next year, it’s just going to be wonderful to see the different kind of energy and vibe we’re going to get from the fans.
What is the VCT 2023 esports format?
Riot Games announced details about the VCT 2023 format wherein there will be the following events:
- Kickoff tournament
- International VCT League Split
- VCT Masters 2023
- Last Chance Qualifiers
- VCT Champions 2023
While the inaugural year with the new format will feature only one Masters event, subsequent years will have two Masters events. The Kickoff event is exclusive to 2023 and will feature, wait for it, a massive 30 teams in participation.
The International League split will feature three regions: NA, EMEA and Asia-Pacific.
VCT Champs 2022 - NA vs Brazil
The VCT Champs 2022 Grand finals features OpTic Gaming taking on LOUD in a best-of-five series. It is an opportunity for OpTic to be the first team to win two International Valorant teams. For the NA roster, winning is all they want to do and they have a LOUD challenge before them.
Meanwhile, LOUD is the hope of the Brazilian Valorant scene. The team has been dominant in the local region and came into previous tournaments as a favorite. At Champs, they have had a fantastic run through the group stage and through the playoffs, taking the upper bracket route to the Grand Finals.
Which VCT Kickoff teams are you expecting to be present in Sao Paolo next year?
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Valorant esports news and updates.
Featured Image Credit: Riot Games.