Half of the VCT LOCK//IN teams begin grueling travel day

Around 16 VALORANT teams from across the world have begun the travel to São Paulo, Brazil for the first international event of the year. 

Half of the teams set to compete in the tournament will arrive in São Paulo over the next few days, with the event set to begin on Feb. 13. All teams from the Alpha bracket, which include the likes of NRG, Cloud9, Gen.G, DRX, and more are set to compete next week. 

FunPlus Phoenix, one of the Chinese teams selected by Riot Games to compete at the tournament, are set to fly out from Shanghai with a custom boarding pass headed to Brazil. Although, it’s unlikely that massive pass is allowed through customs. 

Some teams set to arrive from Europe have a long flight ahead of them. Typically it can take around 13 hours on a non-stop flight to arrive in Brazil. Others in North America typically have to be in the air for around eight to nine hours. 

Giants, for example, have a grueling 13-hour flight ahead of them as the team prepares for their opening match against DetonatioN FocusMe on Feb. 13. 

The Alpha bracket of VCT LOCK//IN features 16 teams with some impressive opening matchups. Brazilian Champions LOUD are set to face off against a new and improved Gen.G lineup while Cloud9 are set to face off against Paper Rex. 

Fans of Sentinels and Fnatic have to wait until Feb. 24, however, as these two teams were placed in the Omega bracket. This bracket, which features the other half of the teams in attendance, is set to begin on Feb. 22 with Team Secret facing off against Team Liquid.