Eight teams have been locked in for the closed qualifier in VCT Europe Stage Three: Fnatic, Team Liquid, FunPlus Phoenix, Acend, Guild, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team BDS, and Team Vitality.
The next phase of the VALORANT Champions Tour begins with the open qualifier on June 28 and brings together 512 teams. The top eight teams from the open qualifier will meet the eight invited teams in the closed qualifier on June 30.
The invited teams were determined based on a “combination of factors,” according to Riot, including “performance” from the previous stages of VCT.
Fnatic and Team Liquid qualified and competed in VALORANT’s first international LAN event in May, while FunPlus Phoenix, Acend, Guild, NiP, BDS, and Vitality all placed in respectable positions over the course of the 2021 VCT circuit.
The eight top teams from the closed qualifier will advance to the first main event on July 7. At the main event, teams from each of the three territories—Europe, Turkey, and CIS—will compete to secure a spot in the EMEA Challengers Playoffs in August.
The four top-seeded teams from the playoffs will qualify for September’s VCT Masters Berlin.
The teams that fail to advance to the initial main event will have the chance to redeem themselves in the second open qualifier on July 20.
Make sure to follow us on YouTube for more esports news and analysis.
