Riot Reveals The New EMEA VCT Structure for 2022
Riot Games continue to prove they’re one of the best in the business when it comes to organising their esports events and hyping their audience. Despite the global pandemic that has crippled the world of esports and caused it to slow down to a crawl, this company has not only launched one of the most popular shooters of today, but also successfully finished a massive year-long project that was Valorant Champions Tour.
And now, just days after the conclusion of Valorant Champions, they’re already back with some incredible new information. The new unveiled info concerns the upcoming VCT 2022 season, where Riot Games have revealed their new VCT regional format for the EMEA region.
Making Valorant the Biggest FPS Esports in the World
The Valorant esports team has dropped a massive news bomb and there’s so much to unpack, so we better dive right into it!
For the past two weeks, we have witnessed the EMEA region dominating the Valorant Champions. One of the top Valorant teams from Europe, Acend, claimed the trophy and became the first world champions in Valorant.
The phenomenal performance and the interesting dynamics of the EMEA teams have elevated the region to a new level, and Riot Games have been following this development closely. That was one of the reasons they decided to make some significant changes to the EMEA ecosystem in 2022 and add more layers to it. This should allow more players, from amateurs to pro players, to participate in the competitive Valorant scene and have a shot at making it big.
The Valorant staff said the following in one of their recent announcements:
In 2022, we aspire to make VALORANT the biggest FPS esports in the world – and it’s clear from the performances we’ve seen so far that EMEA is emerging as a true powerhouse region.
While they’re kicking things off with the EMEA region, for obvious reasons, these same changes are expected to make their way into all the other Valorant regions over time.
While Valorant Champions Tour was somewhat of an experiment at first, it turned out to be a complete success in the end. It’s great to see Riot expanding on an already tested formula, and we’re excited to see how it will all turn out in 2022.
The VCT EMEA 2022 Structure
If you remember this year’s VCT pyramid structure, you know that there were only three layers consisting of the VCT Challengers, Masters, and finally Champions. In the next season, Valorant will receive an additional two layers – the Valorant regional leagues and Game Changers, but also the VRC amateur circuits.
VRL (Valorant Regional Leagues)
The EMEA region will launch with several VRLs, and each of the regional leagues will be covered by one of Riot’s partner organisers.
This is the current list of upcoming EMEA VLRs:
- Spain (Players from Portugal and Italy are also eligible to compete in this league) operated by LVP
- France (Players within Benelux are also eligible to compete in this league) operated by Freaks 4U Gaming
- UK, Ireland & Nordics operated by Promod Esports
- Poland + EE (Players from Israel are also eligible to compete in this league) operated by FRENZY
- CIS operated by GIG Me
- MENA operated by Calyx Gaming
- Turkey operated by ESA Esports
- DACH operated by Freaks 4U Gaming
EMEA Game Changers
You’ll be happy to know that the Game Changers series will continue in 2022. The VCT EMEA region’s Game Changers will have three tournaments scheduled for January, May, and September.
Teams that succeed here will qualify for the Global Game Changers in November.
Among the new changes is the Game Changers EMEA Academy. This is planned to be a safe space where new teams can practice and compete throughout the year.
The Amateur Circuits (VRC)
In an effort to help promote and develop grassroots Valorant talent, Riot is planning a new series of amateur competitions called Valorant Regional Circuits (VRCs).
This should elevate the amateur ecosystem to new heights, and help all the young and talented Valorant players prove themselves and play in a competitive environment. There will be a VRC season where teams will accumulate circuit points, and those points will ultimately determine the winners in the end.
