EU VCT Stage 3 Challengers 2 closed qualifier: Scores, bracket, schedule

The clock is ticking for several of Europe’s most prolific VALORANT teams since their final opportunity to make a late run in the first year of the VALORANT Champions Tour is fast approaching.

While four teams reached the EMEA Challengers Playoffs via the first EU Challengers event of the third stage, only two will do so via the second and final Challengers event. Anyone else who falls short might be done for the whole year, depending on the number of VCT points they’ve earned.

But before the final Challengers main event begins, a closed qualifier of 16 teams in total will produce a final four that will join the four squads already in said main event. Fnatic, Team Liquid, Team BDS, and Rix.GG Thunder await the surviving closed qualifier teams in the Challengers Two main event. The top two finishing teams from the Challengers Two main event will join Acend, G2 Esports, Guild Esports, and FunPlus Phoenix in the EMEA Challengers Playoffs, in addition to the teams representing the Turkish and CIS regions.

The closed qualifier for the last EU Challengers event of the year begins on July 22, on the same day the open qualifier ends, with the double-elimination bracket’s opening matches starting at 2pm CT. All matches will be best-of-three and the newest agent KAY/O will be available to select for the first time in official EU matches.

Here’s the full bracket and schedule for the closed qualifier, as well as updated scores and results.

Participating teams

The 16 teams consist of eight invited squads that previously qualified for the Challengers One closed qualifier. The other eight teams will be comprised of open qualifier rosters, all of which will be determined before closed qualifier matches begin on July 22.

• Alliance
• Ninjas in Pyjamas
• Wave Esports
• Team Vitality
• Team Finest
• BK ROG Esports
• TENSTAR
• BIG
• MTP Esport
• 19esports
• Team Queso
• Giants Gaming
• WiLD MultiGaming
• Vexed
• Cream Real Betis
• Team Heretics

Bracket and schedule

July 22

• 2pm CT: Upper bracket round one
  • Team Finest 2-0 MTP Esport (13-3 Haven, 13-2 Ascent)
  • Team Heretics 2-1 Ninjas in Pyjamas (Heretics 13-5 Ascent, NiP 14-12 Breeze, Heretics 13-11 Haven)
  • TENSTAR 2-1 19esports (TENSTAR 14-12 Icebox, 19esports 13-11 Breeze, TENSTAR 13-5 Split)
  • Team Queso 2-1 Wave Esports (Queso 13-9 Bind, Wave 16-14 Icebox, Queso 15-13 Breeze)
  • Giants 2-0 BIG (13-7 Ascent, 13-3 Bind)
  • Team Vitality 2-1 WiLD (Vitality 13-6 Split, WiLD 13-7 Bind, Vitality 13-10 Breeze)
  • Vexed 2-0 BK ROG Esports (13-4 Bind, 13-6 Icebox)
  • Alliance 2-0 Cream Real Betis (13-8 Icebox, 13-7 Bind)

July 23

• 11am CT: Upper bracket quarterfinals
  • Team Heretics 2-1 Team Finest (Heretics 18-16 Breeze, Finest 13-11 Icebox, Heretics 13-10 Haven)
  • TENSTAR 2-1 Team Queso (TEN 13-2 Split, Queso 13-9 Breeze, TEN 13-3 Icebox)
  • Giants Gaming 2-0 Team Vitality (13-3 Split, 17-15 Ascent)
  • Alliance 2-0 Vexed (13-9 Icebox, 13-4 Bind)
• 11am CT: Lower bracket round one
  • NiP 2-1 MTP Esport (MTP 13-5 Split, NiP 13-5 Breeze, NiP 13-7 Ascent)
  • Wave 2-1 19esports (19esports 13-11 Icebox, Wave 13-10 Haven, Wave 13-7 Breeze)
  • BIG 2-1 WiLD (WiLD 14-12 Ascent, BIG 13-6 Bind, BIG 13-10 Split)
  • Cream Real Betis 2-1 BK ROG Esports (BK ROG 13-11 Haven, Cream 13-7 Split, Cream 13-4 Bind)
• 1pm CT: Upper bracket semifinals (main event qualifying round)
  • TENSTAR 2-0 Team Heretics (13-10 Icebox, 13-3 Breeze)
  • Giants 2-0 Alliance (16-14 Icebox, 16-14 Bind)
• 1pm CT: Lower bracket round two
  • NiP 2-0 Vexed (13-9 Icebox, 13-5 Breeze)
  • Vitality 2-0 Wave (13-1 Icebox, 13-5 Split)
  • BIG 2-0 Queso (13-9 Bind, 13-11 Ascent)
  • Team Finest 2-0 Cream Real Betis (17-15 Ascent, 13-3 Bind)

July 24

• 8am CT: Lower bracket round three
  • Team Vitality 2-1 Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP 17-15 Breeze, Vitality 13-11 Split, Vitality 13-10 Ascent)
  • BIG 2-1 Team Finest (BIG 13-9 Bind, Finest 13-9 Icebox, BIG 13-2 Ascent)
• 10am CT: Lower bracket round four (main event qualifying round)
  • Team Vitality 2-0 Team Heretics (13-2 Breeze, 13-9 Icebox)
  • Alliance 2-0 BIG (13-9 Icebox, 13-9 Ascent)

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