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South Asia will get its own regional Valorant event to qualify for the Split 2 APAC Challenger Playoffs. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Esports, Riot's South Asian Head of Publishing, Sukamal Pegu, revealed that the SA Challenger Playoffs would be the sole qualification event for South Asian teams to the Split 2 APAC Challenger Playoffs.
Riot is yet to confirm the tournament structure for the SA Challenger Playoffs. However, Sukamal has shared a speculative roadmap for the tournament.
Valorant Conquerors Championship 2022 will be first event of South Asian VCT roadmap
Since Global Esports' exciting performances at the APAC Last Chance Qualifier in September, many South Asian fans demanded more opportunities for the region. Riot has promised to offer more to the area in the coming days.
To keep its promise, the developer has already announced the Valorant Conquerors Championship (VCC) 2022, the sole qualification tournament for South Asian teams to secure slots at the Split 1 Asia Pacific (APAC) Challenger Playoffs.
The two finalists of the VCC 2022 will compete directly in the APAC Split 1 Challenger Playoffs to secure a slot in the Valorant Champions Tour Masters in April.
However, a new format awaits the South Asian teams from Split 2, as Riot is coming up with the SA Challenger Playoffs to replace the VCC. In the interview with Sportskeeda Esports, Sukamal Pegu said:
"So immediately after VCC, the first APAC, and Master 1, we will have something called the South Asian Challengers, which will be our regional Split 2 event."
Riot has yet to decide on the structure and format of the tournament. According to Pegu, the publisher may give the top 20 teams from the Valorant Conquerors Championship 2022 a direct entry into the South Asian Challengers in Split 2 two additional slots for the event from open qualifiers.
He said:
"This will allow more flexibility and for those two teams who are not in the top 20 to get more exposure. So instead of getting eliminated in the second or third round, they will actually get to play at a level that they weren't previously able to in the standard subregional formats, which had a history of qualifying the same teams over and over again."
However, after Split 2, South Asia will have its own Last Chance Qualifiers, and the winner will get a slot in the APAC LCQ.
With the introduction of the SA Challenger Playoffs, Riot wants to offer underdogs more opportunities to compete against the best in the region and help the growth of the Valorant esports scene in the area. It will be interesting to see how South Asian Valorant teams utilize this opportunity and make their mark on the international stage.
