The 2022 EMEA VALORANT Champions Tour will feature a massive overhaul with new regional leagues, Game Changers events, and regional circuits for upcoming talent to make their mark on the scene.
The 2021 VALORANT Champions Tour just ended with Acend taking the crown as the inaugural VALORANT Champions, but fans already have a lot of exciting changes to look forward to in 2022.
The EMEA VCT structure will change next year to “suit the whole region, allowing all the localized territories in the wider EMEA umbrella to grow and maintain a healthy level of competition,” according to Riot Games.
Fans can look forward to VALORANT Regional Leagues, which will provide “a highly competitive platform for talent development with a distinctly national flair.” Here are the eight VRLs coming in 2022:
- Spain: Operated by LVP, players from Portugal and Italy are eligible for this league.
- France: Operated by Freaks 4U Gaming, players within Benelux are eligible for this league.
- U.K., Ireland, and Nordics: Operated by Promod Esports.
- Poland + EE: Operated by FRENZY, players from Israel are eligible for this league.
- CIS: Operated by GIG Me.
- MENA: Operated by Calyx Gaming.
- Turkey: Operated by ESA Esports.
- DACH: Operated by Freaks 4U Gaming.
Each league will feature two stages throughout the year, each with a regular season and playoffs, where a champion will be determined. Some of the participating teams will be decided through VRL open qualifiers, which will occur at least once per season. The winner of each league will move on to the VCT Promotion Tournament. Each VRL winner in Stage Two will advance to the VRL EMEA Finals, although the number of available spots and VRL qualifiers may change depending on the VCT Promotion Tournament.
The 2022 season for each VRL season begins on Jan. 24 with open qualifiers. The first split will kick off on the week of Feb. 14.
The four EMEA teams that made it to Champions—Acend, Gambit Esports, Team Liquid, and Fnatic—will be invited back to VCT Stage One in 2022. Eight more spots will be available through two open qualifiers and closed qualifiers in each territory. EU will have four spots, Turkey will have two, and CIS will have the final two spots. MENA teams can compete in any of the qualifiers.
Teams can qualify for VCT Stage Two through the VCT Promotion Tournament, which will feature the winners of the eight VRLs in Stage One. These teams will face the bottom two VCT teams.
Fans can also expect much more Game Changers content in 2022. Three VCT Game Changers EMEA series will take place in January, May, and September. The teams that succeed in these events will earn a spot in the Global Changers event scheduled for November. The new Game Changers EMEA Academy also provides a “place for new teams and friends to compete in a safe space in up to six tournaments throughout the year,” according to Riot.
The VCT Game Changers EMEA 2022 circuit will also run “parallel” to the “wider EMEA ecosystem” to allow these teams to compete in both Game Changers and the VRLs and VCT open qualifiers.
New VALORANT Regional Circuits will also help “develop and promote grassroots VALORANT talent across the region,” Riot said. This new amateur competitive environment will help players experience organized competition and earn circuit points for their team. At the end of the season, the teams with the most points will compete to become the circuit champions.
Several events in 2022 will be broadcast in at least eighty languages, giving EMEA fans more opportunities than ever to enjoy VALORANT content.
Make sure to follow us on YouTube for more esports news and analysis.
