Riot Games have confirmed the VCT Champions groups. 16 teams have been divided into 4 groups ahead of the Los Angeles event in August. Group D is looking stacked.
Riot Games have wasted no time in announcing the groups for the upcoming VCT Champions 2023 following the end of the Last Chance Qualifiers.
Group D is looking by far the most compelling followed by Group A. Evil Geniuses find themselves in a comfortable Group B, while Tokyo Masters winners Fnatic's biggest threat in Group C will be NRG.
VCT Champions Group Format
The format for VCT Champions 2023 will be a double-elimination DSL format, the same format as Tokyo Masters. All matches will be best-of-3, with the top 2 teams of each group progressing to the playoffs.
VCT Champions 2023 Groups
Group A
- Paper Rex (Pacific League)
- Kru (Americas LCQ)
- EDG (China Qualifier)
- Giants (EMEA LCQ)
Group A sees EDG grouped with Paper Rex, the team who ended the Chinese team's incredible run at Tokyo Masters. The other two teams to join them are both from the Last Chance Qualifiers, with Kru coming back from a now legendary 0-9 record to "go on a run" and qualify for VCT Champions 2023.
Group B
- Evil Geniuses (Americas League)
- FPX (China Qualifier)
- FUT Esports (Masters: EMEA Top 3)
- T1 (Pacific League)
Group B sees Tokyo Masters runners-up Evil Geniuses dealt a rather fortuitous hand when it came to the draw. Evil Geniuses find themselves alongside T1 and FUT Esports, two teams who did not manage to make it out of groups at Tokyo Masters. Evil Geniuses were also responsible for delivering FUT Esports a heavy defeat in the opening map of group B in Japan. The three teams are join by FPX, from the China Qualifier.
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Group C
- Fnatic (Masters: EMEA Top 3)
- ZETA Division (Pacific LCQ)
- NRG (Americas League)
- Bilibili Gaming (China Qualifier)
Tokyo Masters winners Fnatic find themselves in group C, with a formidable foe in NRG. Fnatic finished second at VCT Champions 2022, and are heavy favourites to finish the season on a high. Fnatic and NRG are joined by ZETA Division who missed out on Tokyo Masters, and Bilibili Gaming who finished 2nd behind EDG in the China Qualifier.
Group D
- Team Liquid (Masters EMEA Top 3)
- Navi (Masters Slot: EMEA LCQ)
- DRX (Pacific League)
- LOUD (Americas League)
Group D is the most stacked of the VCT Champions groups on paper, and will have fans licking their lips. Fan favourites Team Liquid find themselves alongside Pacific League runners-up DRX and LOUD, the winners of VCT Champions 2022. Navi finished outside of the top 3 in the EMEA League, and qualified through the Last Chance Qualifiers, finishing runners-up behind Giants after suffering a 3-0 defeat.
Navi have Fnatic to thank, as it was Fnatic's win in Tokyo that earned EMEA the additional slot for Champions.
The VCT Champions Groups will begin on August 6 and run until August 13. The matches will be held on LAN at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
