VCT EMEA announces key changes to Ascension and new Blender Spotlight prize pool
An entire year's worth of action is nearing its climax in EMEA with the VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - EMEA Stage 2 finals weekend already underway. Meanwhile, over in the Tier-2 scene, Riot Games has announced changes to the schedule and structure of the upcoming VCT EMEA Ascension 2025, as well as details surrounding the prize pool for the mixed-gender tournament, Blender Spotlight.
Ascension Starts One Day Early
To start, the Ascension tournament will now kick off a day earlier than expected. Instead of the original date, the race for promotion into VCT EMEA 2026 will begin on Saturday, October 18.
The competition will also look a little different this year. Eight teams will qualify for Ascension, where they’ll be placed into two GSL-style groups. Finally, two best-of-five series will determine the two squads that secure a spot in next year’s VCT EMEA.
The event will be hosted at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin, giving the tournament the centralized and elevated stage it deserves.
Blender Spotlight: Mixed Gender, Winner Takes All
Riot also provided an update on Project Blender, the open-entry tournament in EMEA that was first revealed two months ago as part of the VCT Partner Series. The event will consist of four stages, with Phase 1 opening the door to up to 1024 teams.
Within that ecosystem sits Blender Spotlight, a competition designed for mixed-gender rosters. Scheduled for November 3–4, it will feature a winner-takes-all prize pool of €10,000. The champions of Blender Spotlight will advance directly to Phase 3 of Project Blender, while the second and third-place teams will continue their journey in Phase 2.
The tournament will culminate in Paris, where the top four teams from Project Blender will compete in a LAN finals weekend on December 13–14 to crown the ultimate champion.
For all things VALORANT-related, make sure to stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG as we continue to update you with the freshest game and esports news.
Featured Image Source: Riot Games
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