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Riot Games concluded its year-long Valorant Champions Tour 2021 circuit with Valorant Champions 2021, which was held in December 2021. Soon after the tournament ended, Riot announced their plans for VCT 2022 for the EMEA region.
With the success of the first season of the Valorant Champions Tour, Riot Games plans to expand the tournament circuit by including several new competitions and other features for VCT 2022.
EMEA Valorant Champions Tour 2022: Structure, format, schedule, and more
In Stage 1, the four EMEA teams who qualified for Valorant Champions 2021 will be automatically qualified for the Challengers event. Eight qualifying spots are available through two open and closed qualifiers, taking place from January 10 - 23. European teams will have four slots up for grabs, whereas teams from CIS and Turkey will have a maximum of two slots each. Players from the MINA region will participate in the qualifying event of their choice.
In Stage 2, teams will qualify for VCT through a Promotion tournament, featuring the winners of the eight Valorant Regional Leagues (VRL) along with the bottom two teams from Stage 1 Challengers. Out of the ten participants, the top two teams will qualify for the Stage 2 Challengers event. Teams that fail to qualify will then compete in a VRL.
Valorant Champions Tour 2022 will also feature improved broadcasting compared to the 2021 season. VCT, Game Changers, Masters, and Champions are among the events that will be broadcast. Players can view these tournaments in English, Arabic, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian, and Turkish, with more languages to be added in the future.
Valorant Regional Circuit (VRC)
Riot Games are planning to introduce a brand new series of local tournaments that seek to motivate amateur Valorant players to rise to the professional level. VRCs are expected to provide young Valorant enthusiasts with the opportunity to compete with players of various skill levels and experience the enticing sensation of competing in an official tournament.
Additionally, players will be allowed to compete in individual tournaments to earn circuit points throughout the season. The season will culminate with the teams with the most circuit points competing against each other to determine the regional circuit champions.
"Whether you dream of playing on the Champions stage one day, or just want satisfying competitive experiences with your friends, your local circuit will have you covered." - Jonathan Tilbury, Valorant Esports Competitive Experience Manager EMEA
Riot currently has plans to introduce VRCs only in the EMEA region. However, players can expect a VRC to pop up in their respective regions in the near future.
Valorant Regional League (VRL)
Riot Games plan to conduct regional tournaments in Europe under the title - Valorant Regional League (VRL). As the name states, the tournament will be run in a league format, pitting all the teams from the respective region against each other under a single table. Riot plans to launch the following leagues in 2022:
- France (Players from the Benelux region are also eligible)
- Spain (Players from Italy and Portugal are also eligible)
- Northern Europe (UK, Ireland, and Nordics)
- MENA
- CIS
- East (Poland and Eastern Europe)
- DACH (Germany, Switzerland, and Austria)
- Turkey
Third-party tournament operators will conduct each league in coordination with Riot Games. VRL will be held in two stages, with a regular season and playoffs for each league.
After Stage 1, the winners of each VRL will qualify for the VCT Promotion tournament. In stage 2, all the VRL winners will compete against each other in the VRL EMEA finals.
Game Changers
The Valorant Game Changers program was introduced in 2021 to empower members of the female gaming community by offering them a competitive experience and exposure. The 2021 edition of the Game Changers program witnessed up to 58 participating teams, which is likely to increase in the next season of the tournament.
Riot Games plan to take Game Changers to a whole new level in 2022. Valorant Game Changers 2022 will have three stages, which will take place in January, May and September. Qualifying teams will compete against each other in the Game Changers Global Event held in November 2022.
Riot Games has also announced the launch of the EMEA Game Changers Academy, similar to the VCT Game Changers Academy introduced in 2021. The program will provide players at the semi-pro and grassroots level to compete in up to 6 tournaments throughout the year.
"Use Game Changers to build your own brand, stake your claim and be vocal about your achievements, because the world is listening." - Vera Wienken, Valorant Esports Game Changers EMEA Lead
