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With Riot Games formally publishing the final list of 30 team names, Valorant has now entered its franchising VCT (Valorant Champions Tour) phase. These groups will compete for the title of the 2023 VCT Champions.
Riot has worked with these groups to expand the game's Esports scene as a whole. However, not every team had the good fortune to pass the rigorous screening procedure.
Being left off the franchising list has definitely hurt the reputation and standing of well-known and prestigious teams in the Valorant Esports sector.
5 Valorant teams in the EMEA region that missed out on franchising
Riot has a stringent selection process that eliminates candidates with the least bit of insufficiency. Both parties would benefit greatly from a contract between the former and the team, and pressure would be put on all others in the area to somehow get on the list.
This incident was inevitable given that only Riot could select their partner, and that there were only 10 slots available for the entire EMEA Region. The best teams who regrettably were not given a spot in the partnership program will be discussed in this article.
1) Acend
The organization Acend was founded in March 2021 and has been a huge success thus far. They won the first Valorant Champions tournament, and their Halo squad is now the EU champion and one of the best at the game. They also have an Apex squad and will compete in its largest tournament, something akin to the Champions tournament.
They might not have a large following, but that's because they are a relatively new squad. Acend is supported by a gambling website and this may have been the reason for them not being included in the new franchising system.
2) FunPlus Phoenix
It was shocking that FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) failed to win the VCT 2023 circuit. FPX won the VCT Masters Stage 2 Copenhagen, which is noteworthy.
It's rather strange that OpTic and FunPlus Phoenix didn't make it into Riot's Franchise League. Two of the year's top performing teams who have each taken home a Masters victory this year won't be playing in the major leagues going ahead.
3) Mad Lions
The exclusion of the MAD Lions is quite surprising as they are one of the best Spanish teams when it comes to Riot's tactical shooter. Even though the former are a new organization, they have had quite a mark in the EMEA Valorant scene.
League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive squads are presently hosted by the team. They also have their Overwatch and COD franchise slots as well managed by the OverActive Media Group.
4) BIG
BIG (Berlin International Gaming) is Germany's number one team and the fact that there are no German representatives in the EMEA league is a huge surprise for many fans. The organization was created by the former NRG players- Nikola "LEGIJA" Fatih, "gob b" Dayik, and Johannes "tabseN."
5) Guild Esports
David Beckham, a former British football star, shares ownership of Guild Esports. Rocket League, Fortnite, FIFA, and VALORANT teams are hosted by the British group.
They signed the squad of Bonk, which was once a Valorant team, to enter the Riot Esports scene. Even though Guild Esports applied for a partnership, they couldn’t get through and this is a huge source of controversy.
