Stage 1 of the Valorant Champions Tour 2022 is around the corner as teams worldwide prepare to face their regional opposition at the Challengers event. The EMEA Challengers 1 is scheduled to begin on February 11, featuring 12 of the best teams from Europe.Stage 1 Challengers is the first step for teams to qualify for the coveted VCT Masters event. Valorant enthusiasts will have five consecutive weeks of exciting matchups to keep themselves engrossed.Further details on the EMEA Stage 1 Challengers are mentioned below.Valorant Champions Tour 2022 EMEA Challengers: Everything you need to knowTeams and FormatA total of 12 teams have qualified for VCT Stage 1 EMEA Challengers based on recent performance. Four teams, namely - Acend, Gambit Esports, Team Liquid and Fnatic, earned direct qualification for the tournament due to their achievements in VCT 2021.Guild Esports and BIG qualified from EU Challengers 1, whereas SuperMassive Blaze and FunPlus Phoenix are representatives from Challengers 1 of Turkey and the CIS region, respectively.Similarly, G2 Esports and LDN UTD qualified from EU Challengers 2, whereas BBL Esports qualified from Turkey Challengers 2 and Natus Vincere from CIS Challengers 2.The tournament's Group Stage will be conducted in a round-robin format, with each matchup decided over a best-of-three series. The top 3 teams from each group will then qualify for the Playoffs. The 12 participating teams are grouped as such:Group AGambit EsportsTeam LiquidBIGFunPlus PhoenixLDN UTDNatus VincereGroup BAcendFnaticGuild EsportsSuperMassive BlazeG2 EsportsBBL EsportsAll six qualifying teams will then engage in a double-elimination bracket to secure the three slots for the Stage 1 Masters. Winners of each group will receive a first-round bye victory.Bottom teams from both groups will participate in the VCT Promotion event, where they will compete against winners of all the Valorant Regional League tournaments across Europe for a ticket to Stage 2 EMEA Challengers.ScheduleAll fixtures for EMEA Stage 1 Challengers will be held from Friday to Sunday, with matches scheduled for 5 PM CEST/8:30 PM IST/7 AM PST and 8 PM CEST/11:30 PM IST/10 AM PST.Week 1 February 11Team Liquid vs. Gambit EsportsG2 Esports vs. FnaticFebruary 12FunPlus Phoenix vs. BIGSuperMassive Blaze vs. AcendFebruary 13Natus Vincere vs. LDN UTDBBL Esports vs. Guild EsportsWeek 2 February 18FunPlus Phoenix vs. Gambit EsportsGuild Esports vs. AcendFebruary 19LDN UTD vs. BIGBBL Esports vs. FnaticFebruary 20G2 Esports vs. SuperMassive BlazeNatus Vincere vs. Team LiquidWeek 3February 25Guild Esports vs. SuperMassive BlazeAcend vs. FnaticFebruary 26LDN UTD vs. FunPlus PhoenixG2 Esports vs. BBL EsportsFebruary 27Natus Vincere vs. Gambit EsportsBIG vs. Team LiquidWeek 4March 4BBL Esports vs. SuperMassive BlazeLDN UTD vs. Team LiquidMarch 5Natus Vincere vs. FunPlus PhoenixG2 Esports vs. AcendMarch 6BIG vs. Gambit EsportsGuild Esports vs. FnaticWeek 5March 11LDN UTD vs. Gambit EsportsG2 Esports vs. Guild EsportsMarch 12FunPlus Phoenix vs. Team LiquidBBL Esports vs. AcendMarch 13Natus Vincere vs. BIGSuperMassive Blaze vs. FnaticVALORANT Champions Tour@ValorantEsportsThe Year of the Fearless is here. For matches and schedules go to: valorantesports.com/schedule9:15 AM · Feb 10, 20222083207The Year of the Fearless is here. For matches and schedules go to: valorantesports.com/schedule https://t.co/ty4Cm04F7YPlayoffs for EMEA Stage 1 Challengers are scheduled for March 22 - 28.Where to watch VCT EMEA Challengers?Viewers can tune into Valorant's official handles across Twitch and YouTube to watch the tournament in live-action. Watch parties held in association with Riot Games are also expected to broadcast the event.Top matchupsStage 1 of VCT EMEA Challengers kicks off with promising matchups as Esports powerhouses - Team Liquid and Gambit Esports face-off in the opening match. They will be followed by another enticing fixture soon after, as G2 takes on Fnatic on the same day.Acend and Fnatic will face each other in a Week 3 fixture that Valorant enthusiasts can also look forward to. G2 will prepare their revamped roster to take on the 2021 Valorant Champions-Acend in their Week 4 matchup.Most of the participating teams have been away from VCT action for a considerable amount of time and aim to compete in the most significant Esports stages in 2022. In that regard, each matchup is expected to bring out the best performance from the top 12 teams in Valorant's EMEA region.