Riot Games is not wasting any time bringing China fully into the top tier of the competitive VALORANT ecosystem and has already confirmed three of the ten partnered teams that will compete in the VCT China league in 2024.
JD Gaming, Bilibili Gaming, and FunPlus Phoenix have all officially acquired partnered status and will compete in VCT China 2024. The inaugural season will feature a team layout similar to the other international VCT leagues: 10 partnered teams plus one team from Ascension, which is scheduled for this month.
All three partnered teams compete under organizations that are actively part of the LPL, the top-tier League of Legends competition in China. The LPL has produced three Worlds titles in the past six years, including one by FPX. The most recent Worlds victory from China came from Edward Gaming, or EDG, back in 2021. EDG has become one of the most competitive and popular VALORANT teams from China, and it would be shocking not to see them announced as a VCT China partner team soon.
Several other LPL teams are currently competing in VALORANT as well, including Rare Atom, TOP Esports, and LGD Gaming. Wolves Esports, the competitive gaming division of Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers, has also reportedly expressed interest in VCT China. The VCT China league has come together rather quickly, with Riot confirming the addition of the new league for 2024 just a few weeks after the end of Champions 2023.
The new international league is not the only instance of competitive, top-tier VALORANT coming to China in 2024. Shanghai will play host to the second of two Masters events in May. The top three teams from all four leagues will be in attendance, with massive Champions qualification implications on the line.
More partnered team announcements for VCT China can be expected over the next couple of weeks.
