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VALORANT: VCT 2023 to kick off new format with 3-week international in Brazil

VALORANT developer Riot Games revealed that the 2023 VALORANT Champions Tour will kick off with a three-week international tournament in Sau Paulo, Brazil. (Photo: Riot Games)
VALORANT developer Riot Games revealed that the 2023 VALORANT Champions Tour will kick off with a three-week international tournament in Sau Paulo, Brazil. (Photo: Riot Games)

VALORANT developer Riot Games announced on Wednesday (14 September) that they will be hosting an international tournament from February to March 2023 in Sau Paulo, Brazil, to celebrate the start of the 2023 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT).

Riot said in a press release that the 2023 VCT's kickoff tournament will be the "largest international tournament in VCT history" and will feature every team selected for partnership in the new VCT format.

The kickoff tournament will be a three-week event from mid-February to early March, with Riot adding that it aims to give VALORANT fans "a first look at the new rosters and find out which team built the best squad during the offseason".

The team who places first in the kickoff tournament will earn their league an extra slot at the first international event of the season, VCT Masters 2023.

Riot has yet to reveal the prize pool for the event.

Once the kickoff tournament has concluded, the first competitive split of the 2023 VCT will begin with weekly LAN competition in EMEA, the Pacific, and the Americas.

International League matches for those regions will take place in three cities: Berlin, Seoul, and Los Angeles, respectively.

The 2023 VALORANT Champions Tour features three competitive regions: EMEA, the Pacific, and the Americas. Matches for these regions will be hosted in Berlin, Seoul, and Los Angeles, respectively. (Photo: Riot Games)
The 2023 VALORANT Champions Tour features three competitive regions: EMEA, the Pacific, and the Americas. Matches for these regions will be hosted in Berlin, Seoul, and Los Angeles, respectively. (Photo: Riot Games)

This split will begin in March, feature eight weeks of regular-season competition, and crown three league champions in May.

While subsequent seasons will feature two International League splits, the 2023 VCT will supplement one split with the international tournament in order to provide teams with adequate time to set up in their respective regional hub locations.

“The VALORANT community’s passion inspired us to dream big and evolve the VALORANT Champions Tour to meet the overwhelming demand we’re seeing in every corner of the world,” said Whalen Rozelle, COO for Esports at Riot Games.

“In 2023, we’re taking everything we’ve learned, adding in new ideas and forming partnerships that will help us realize our dreams for the next edition of the VCT.”

The new VALORANT Challengers Circuit will run alongside the 2023 International VALORANT Champions Tour. (Photo: Riot Games)
The new VALORANT Challengers Circuit will run alongside the 2023 International VALORANT Champions Tour. (Photo: Riot Games)

The second international tournament of the year, VCT Masters 2023, will be held in June and feature the best teams from each international league.

This event will reward top teams from each territory with direct qualification to VALORANT Champions, the game's world championship tournament.

VALORANT Champions 2023 will once again feature Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ), where top performing teams who have not yet qualified will get one last shot to earn an invitation. Each of the three LCQs will advance one team into Champions.

The VCT season will conclude with VALORANT Champions in August, where a new VALORANT world champion will be crowned.

In addition to the International VCT Circuit, Riot also shared new details about the Challenger Circuit, which will take place concurrently with the VCT season and will provide aspiring teams with a path to qualify into international competition for the 2024 season.

Two Challenger splits will begin in January and conclude with the Ascension tournaments in July. The Ascension tournaments will feature the best teams from the Challenger leagues competing for promotion into the international leagues.

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