The 2024 VALORANT Champions Tour, the second since the transition to partnership, is officially getting underway in February. There are plenty of new things to watch for: new rosters, new teams from Ascension, a whole new league in China, and on top of all that, a reworked path to Champions.
Last year, the teams that went to Champions were determined almost entirely by how well they did in their respective international league playoffs, with the rest (including all of China) earning a spot via Last Chance Qualifiers. In 2024, Riot has introduced an altered version of qualification that in theory should reward teams that play all year.
Already planning a path for your favorite team to go to VALORANT Champions 2024? Here’s how they can get there.
How do VALORANT teams qualify for Champions 2024?
The 2024 VCT season is split up into several sections. In February, teams compete in a Kickoff Tournament for each league to determine the eight total teams (two from each league) that go to Masters Madrid.
After Madrid, stage one of regular season play begins for each league, resulting in playoffs that send 12 total teams (three from each league) to the next global event in Masters Shanghai. Following Shanghai, stage two of regular season play begins right away.
At the end of stage two, each league hosts its own season playoff bracket. The top three teams from each international league’s stage two playoffs will qualify for Champions 2024, with each league’s winner earning their region’s number one seed. This is the same system used as last year, though without the weird extra-regional spot earned from winning Masters.
But how the fourth teams from each league qualify is very different from last year. In 2024, teams will earn Championship Points based on how well they perform across the entire year. The team from each international league with the most points—aside from the top three playoff teams—will earn their region’s fourth spot at Champions 2024. The LCQ tournament for each region is no more.
How do VALORANT teams earn Championship Points in VCT 2024?
This is where a team’s year-long performance comes into play, as both regular season matches, regional tournaments, and international tournaments all play a part. Here are the different ways teams can earn Championship Points in VCT 2024:
- Winning your region’s Kickoff tournament or the stage one playoffs will earn a team three points.
- Winning Masters Madrid or Masters Shanghai will earn a team three points.
- Each match including during playoffs won during stages one and two (including playoffs) earns a team one point:
- The top two seeds for playoffs in each stage will get a bonus point awarded since they receive a first-round bye.
According to the VCT official announcement, teams will play 10 regular season matches across stage one and stage two. This system should encourage teams to try and be competitive all year, as effectively each match has Championship Points and a trip to Champions on the line.
