VCT Americas Kickoff: Format, Opening Matchups, and more

As hype continues to build up for the return of the VALORANT Champions Tour, the VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Americas Kickoff is gearing up for yet another memorable tournament.

To keep up with the most recent changes made to the tournament, here is everything you need to know about the 2025 VCT Americas Kickoff.

VCT Americas Kickoff Overview

This time around, the VCT Americas Kickoff event will feature a new format that will see more high-stakes action from the very first games of the season. Without a doubt, the 2025 Kickoff tournament will be a great way to start the new year in the Americas.

Teams

12 teams will battle it out to get points and punch their tickets into the upcoming VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Bangkok 2025 in February, 2025.

• 100 Thieves
• Cloud9
• Evil Geniuses
• FURIA
• KRÜ Esports
• Leviatán
• 2GAME Esports
• G2 Esports
• Sentinels
• NRG
• MIBR
• LOUD

Dates and Format

The event is set to start on January 16, and will run until its grand finale on February 8. As opposed to last year’s event, the 2025 VCT Americas Kickoff tournament will no longer split teams into groups.

Instead, all twelve participating teams will be thrown straight into a double elimination bracket. The two grand finalists for the tournament will have earned their region’s two spots at the first international tournament of the year, Masters Bangkok.

Opening Matchups

• Evil Geniuses vs. LOUD
• mibr vs. 100 Thieves
• NRG vs. Cloud9
• 2GAME Esports vs. FURIA

Surprise Addition

Despite Tejo being released as recently as January 8, VALORANT’s latest agent will be eligible for play at the VCT Americas Kickoff. The decision to allow for players to pick Tejo at the tournament was quick to spark controversy, as players and coaches alike felt it served to undo months of preparation.

While that may well be the case, excitement to see the new agent in the hands of some of the best players in the world continues to grow by the minute, making the VCT Americas Kickoff tournament a must-see.

VCT Americas Kickoff Location, Venue, and Tickets

The tournament will be played at the Riot Games Arena, in Santa Monica, Los Angeles.

If you happen to find yourself near the west coast of the United States, perhaps you would like to take the chance to catch some of your favorite teams and players compete live at the VCT Americas Kickoff. Tickets for the event can be purchased from the tournament’s official online store, with ticket prices starting at $20.

Due to the event's location, the start of the tournament has been put at risk due to the latest wildfires plaguing the state of California. At the time of writing, however, it appears the event will proceed as planned.

On-air Talent

• Mimi "aEvilcat" Wermcrantz
• Andrej "Babybay" Francisty
• Brennon "Bren" Hook
• Christy "Ender" Frierson
• Doug "EsportsDoug" Cortez
• Rivington Bruce "Rivington" Bisland III
• Sean "seangares" Gares
• Josh "Sideshow" Wilkinson
• Mitch "Uber" Leslie
• Alex "Vansilli" Nguyen
• Wyatt "Wyatt" River
• Daniel "Dryad" Herrera
• Alex "Goldenboy" Mendez
• Elisabeth "Elisabeth" Marchini
• Sue "Smix" Lee
• Salome "Soe" Gschwind-Repp
• Alexis "alexis" Guarrasi
• Melanie "meL" Capone

Where to watch

To catch all of the VCT Americas Kickoff action, make sure you tune in to the official Twitch or YouTube channels for the tournament, starting January 16. All games will be streamed live in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. You can find the complete list of streams below:

English

• Twitch
• YouTube

Portuguese

• Twitch
• YouTube

Spanish

• Twitch
• YouTube

For all things VCT-related, make sure to stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG as we continue to update you with the freshest game and esports news.