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The Valorant Champions 2022 (VCT 2022) is scheduled to start on August 31, 2022. This year will see many of the giants trying to leave their mark in the history of Valorant Champions and competing against some new underdog teams.
As for the Group stages, these are the teams in Group D:
- DRX
- Furia Esports
- Fnatic
- 100 Thieves
The Group stage will be held in a double-elimination format. This means that two losing teams will play in the Lower Bracket, and the two winning teams will play in the Winners' bracket. Both the winning and losing teams will play against each other, and the winners from both these brackets will qualify for the playoffs.
In this format, we will get to see two qualifying teams from each region who will get selected for the Playoffs.
Everything fans need to know about Group D in Valorant Champions Istanbul 2022 (VCT 2022)
Overview of participating teams
The teams in Group D are undoubtedly an exciting match-up. It is essential to note that the initial match will be the first time these teams will go head-to-head against each other.
The teams are DRX from the Republic of Korea, Furia Esports from Brazil, Fnatic from the EMEA region, and 100 Thieves from the NA region.
The first match-up in Group D is between DRX and Furia. This is going to be an exciting set of matches as fans will see some of the finest upcoming Valorant pros going up against each other.
DRX successfully secured a spot in the past in VCT: Stage 1 Masters - Reykjavik but lost their footing against ZETA Division. They also qualified for the VCT: Stage 2 Masters - Copenhagen, but saw defeat in a match against FunPlus Phoenix.
DRX has a solid roster with consistent performers. Fans will definitely hope to see the team go all-out against others to bring the title home.
Furia, on the other hand, has been in the fight a little longer. They had also previously qualified for the Valorant Champions 2021. Unfortunately, they lost against KRU Esports and were eliminated from the series.
Furia secured 4th position in the VCT 2022: Brazil Stage 1 Challengers. They showed great promise in the VCT 2022: South America Last Chance Qualifier and secured the 2nd position.
Fnatic was able to secure the 3rd position in the VCT 2022: EMEA Stage 1 Challengers. They were also able to secure 1st position in the VCT 2022: EMEA Stage 2 Challengers and ranked 4th in VCT 2022: Stage 2 Masters - Copenhagen.
Previously, Fnatic fought for the Reykjavik trophy side-by-side with multiple big names. They finally saw defeat in the finals against Sentinels and secured the 2nd position in VCT 2021: Masters Stage 2 - Reykjavik.
100 Thieves has been emerging as a dark horse in the series. The team had multiple dominant performances against some of the best teams from North America. It's a team that has been playing since early 2020. They qualified last year for VCT 2021: Stage 3 Masters - Berlin but could not get the win.
After an overwhelming victory against The Guard in VCT 2022: North America Last Chance Qualifier, fans believe that the 100 Thieves` roster could have what it takes this time around.
Head-to-head results
Both the opening matches for Group D will be the first time that these teams will play against each other. In fact, these teams have never been pitted against each other, and only have visual information about each other from the past matches that were played.
It will be interesting to see how these seasoned professionals will deal with a completely new foe whom they have never faced.
Predictions
When and where to watch
The Schedule for Group D is as follows:
- DRX vs FURIA: Match D1 - Friday, September 2 - 5:00 am PDT/2:00 pm CEST/5:30 pm IST
- Fnatic vs 100 Thieves: Match D2 - Friday, September 2 - 8:00 am PDT/5:00 pm CEST/8:30 pm IST
- Winner of (D1 vs D2): Match D3 - Saturday, September 3 - 11:00 am PDT/8:00 pm CEST/11:30 pm IST
- Loser of (D1 vs D2): Match D4 - Monday, September 5 - 7:00 am PDT/4:00 pm CEST/7:30 pm IST
- TBD: Decider (D) - Thursday, September 8 - 7:00 am PDT/4:00 pm CEST/7:30 pm IST
Fans can watch the upcoming matches live through streams that will be hosted by official Valorant handles on both YouTube and Twitch.
Riot Games will be hosting rewards for all viewers that players can redeem by watching the stream on either platform and connecting their Riot accounts with the streaming platform.
