"One of our ongoing goals is to keep Challengers exciting as a path to pro that remains high-stakes throughout,"- Tomek Borowka, EMEA Challengers Product Lead

VCT 2023 - Challengers Ascension: EMEA kicks off July 13, with four teams battling it out in the playoffs to lift the trophy in Berlin. Despite that, the trophy is not the biggest prize for the four teams participating, it is the promotion to VCT International Leagues EMEA, the top tier of VALORANT esports, that is the ultimate goal.

2023 saw the first implementation of a distinct split between the tier 1 (VCT International Leagues) and the tier 2 (Challenger Leagues) of VALORANT Champions Tour. The Challenger Leagues, split into 9 regions in EMEA, saw fierce competition across the board. With two splits in the season, teams battled for circuit points in their respective leagues. Those circuit points would determine which teams would qualify to the ongoing Ascension event. With only one team advancing to next year's VCT EMEA International League, the Challenger Leagues boast some of the fiercest competition in the VALORANT esports ecosystem.

With Ascension EMEA on the final stretch, Tomasz Borowka, EMEA Challengers Product Lead at Riot Games, shared some comments on how the year went, some of his thoughts on the leagues and teams, and what's to expect next year.

Tomek Borowka on EMEA Challenger Leagues and Ascension in 2023

Which Challenger League has stood out for you the most this season?

"It’s incredibly hard to choose as we’ve seen such strong showings throughout the leagues this season and there have been some seriously consistent performers across the splits. The end of season finals were absolutely electric with the finales of Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Northern Europe standing out in particular. There was so much high level gameplay taking place it was a challenge to keep up, though I did follow the games where I could! One of the biggest testaments to the intense rivalries we’ve seen develop across the regions this season was the matchup in France between Joblife and Gentle Mates that had everyone on the edge of their seats. At one point, this matchup had 171K fans watching and it shows how relentless they’ve been with their support this season."

How have the two new Challenger Leagues (Portugal & Italy) fared? Do you think they’ve held their own?

"I don’t think I could have expected more from either league this season. Both have hit the ground running in their inaugural season and shown the other leagues that they’re not just playing for fun. Some great teams have surfaced in both leagues and the progression across these first two splits has been noticeable. The GTZ and SAW rosters have looked especially strong and they’ve proven the other leagues wrong if they had any thoughts of Portugal being a pushover. Italy hasn’t been slacking either, DYSRE and GMT have shown up continuously across the splits and will no doubt push each other all the way again next season. While both regions were represented in the Spain Rising League last year, they’ve already demonstrated their ability to stand on their own two feet and hit back at whatever is thrown at them. I don’t think we’ll be waiting long for a team from these countries to appear in VCT EMEA."

Many of the leagues have seen different winners over the course of the two Stages this season, did you expect to see this level of competitiveness?

"Knowing how dedicated each of these teams are and the amount of hours they put into preparation and training, it really hasn’t come as a surprise. The teams within each league know what the others are capable of and have had to maintain a high standard of performance to keep up. Speaking to some of the teams, I’ve had it repeated to me time and again how their fan bases have thrived off how heated the competition has been. Despite MOUZ finishing first in both splits of the DACH regular season, CGN Esports have managed to pull it together twice in the region’s playoffs to emerge victorious. The pecking order isn’t established in any of the leagues and they’re continually spurring each other on to keep up. It’s a clear sign of progression for the professionalisation of the Challengers circuit as they all fight to reach the next tier."

There is still a long way to go but what will winning VCT Ascension EMEA mean for the team that comes out on top?

"It can’t be overstated how much of a difference it would make to the eventual winner. As much progress as they’ve made so far you could liken this step up to them starting their journey all over again. You only need to look to last season for a great example in FUT Esports. In the space of 12 months they’ve gone from winning the VALORANT Regional League Finals to qualifying for Champions and absolutely no one can doubt their credentials. Competing in VCT EMEA is the prize but the journey is just as enriching. It will take a great amount of resilience, but there are so many lessons from battling through their Challenger League that will help them grow as a team. It’s important not to forget the effect winning will have on the rest of the community who will see their success as something to aspire for. While most Challenger teams will have seen the winner as a rival this season, I’m sure they’ll be cheering them on next year and hoping they can disrupt the teams already in VCT EMEA 2024 who might be just a little too comfortable."

To close, what lessons have you learned from this season of Challengers and will it affect what we can expect to see next season?

"One thing we’ve learnt, if it wasn’t apparent already, is how essential Challengers are to the VALORANT esports ecosystem and the vital role it plays in nurturing upcoming talent. We are still so early in our journey, but in this time we’ve seen the different regions grow so much and take on their own personalities. We’ve seen varying levels of engagement and viewership across the leagues but given how complex EMEA is and the unique priorities each region has, this doesn’t come as a surprise. One of our ongoing goals is to keep Challengers exciting as a path to pro that remains high-stakes throughout and there are takeaways from this season that will be more apparent when next year begins. As we continue to shape it, the Challengers ecosystem will adapt to continue to enrich teams and bring as much excitement to fans as possible".

Make sure to check out our EMEA Ascension event page for updated results and the stats so far.