Riot Games reveal VCT 2023 details and the kick-off tournament

Next year will be a milestone for the VALORANT ecosystem as Riot Games decided to change the competitive structure and announced the details while the VCT 2022 - Champions Istanbul hype was at its highest point. Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming VCT Circuit!

3 International Leagues, 30 Teams

Firstly, the company decided to divide the regions into Americas, EMEA, and Pacific. 10 teams will compete in each league and try to become the best in each region. Normally, the season will be formed by two splits but for VCT 2023, there will be a new tournament named VCT 2023 - LOCK//IN. According to Whalen Rozelle, Esports COO of Riot Games, it will be the biggest tournament in VCT history. It will be held between February 14 and March 5. All the teams will be invited to Sao Paulo, Brazil, as the first event of the season, which is scheduled to be three weeks, will take place there. The team who places first will earn their league an extra slot at Masters.

One of the most surprising news about the announcement is that all three leagues will be played on LAN. Each league will have its own venue and on-site casters. The VCT 2023 - Americas League will be played in Los Angeles, VCT 2023 - EMEA League in Berlin, and VCT 2023 - Pacific League in Seoul. The International League Split will begin in March, after the kick-off tournament, and will last for eight weeks. The regional champions will be clear in May. Masters on the other hand will start in June. The Last Chance Qualifier structure will not change and it will be in July, just before Champions.

LCQs aren’t the only tournament that will be held in July as we will see the debut of the Ascension Tournaments. These tournaments will feature the best teams from more than 20 different Challenger leagues. Teams will compete on LAN to qualify for the international leagues in each region. In other words, it is the new promotion system. Challengers will also include two splits with the first one taking place between January-March and the second one in March-June. Lastly, the season will end with Champions in August. More information about the VCT 2023 Circuit will be on the events page as soon as Riot Games announce.