As fans near the final stages of the Valorant Champions Tour, ten esports organizations have got their slots confirmed for Valorant Champions 2022. This will be the second time that 16 teams will compete against each other to be crowned world champions at Valorant Champions 2022, which is to be held in Istanbul, Turkey.
The teams that have qualified so far have performed well in VCT events throughout 2022. In the previous year, cNed helped Acend become Valorant's first ever world champion. This year will feature the 16 best teams from different regions, ten of which have qualified for the tournament based on their regional circuit points, whereas the rest will qualify via the Last Chance Qualifier events.
Here are the slot distributions and the regions for the Valorant Champions tournament:
- 2 slots for NA
- 1 slot for BR
- 1 slot for LATAM
- 2 slots for EMEA
- 1 slot for Korea
- 2 slots for APAC
- 1 slot for Japan
- 1 slot for NA Last Chance Qualifier
- 2 slots for SA Last Chance Qualifier
- 1 slot for EMEA Last Chance Qualifier
- 1 slot for APAC North (Korea and Japan) Last Chance Qualifier
- 1 slot for APAC South (SEA, South Asia, and Oceania)) Last Chance Qualifier
Ten teams that have qualified for Valorant Champions ahead of LCQs
1) OpTic Gaming
OpTic gaming booked their spot in Valorant Champions after they won the Masters, which was held at Reykjavík. They defeated LOUD by 3:0 which is a resounding scoreline. OpTic Gaming received 750 points after winning the Masters Reykjavík and 150 points after qualifying for Masters Copenhagen. They stand at the top of the North American circuit with 900 points.
2) XSET
XSET silenced all of the doubters with a stellar performance in the Stage 2 North America Challengers. XSET winning Stage 2 and the Guard faltering at Masters Reykjavík meant that XSET comfortably secured their spot even before their international debut at Masters Copenhagen. They also defeated OpTic Gaming 3:1 in the final of the VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers.
3) Fnatic
Fnatic has been the most consistent team in the EMEA region in the last couple of years. Although an international trophy has eluded them, they won the VCT EMEA Stage 2 Challengers recently after defeating FunPlus Phoenix by 2:0. The team was undefeated in the EMEA Stage 2 Challengers and will be looking to win its first international trophy this year when they compete in Valorant Champions.
4) FunPlus Phoenix
FPX has been down and out of luck, as they were prevented from competing in Reykjavík even though they had won the EMEA S1 this year. They defeated G2 Esports 3:1 to secure victory in the grand final.
The team is a strong contender when at full strength, and at this year's Valorant Champions, FPX is the dark horse to look out for.
5) LOUD
LOUD has dominated the circuit in Brazil and has secured its place in the Valorant Champions. They have utterly ravaged their competition in the domestic sphere with only a single map loss across both Stages. Fans from Brazil will be hoping that LOUD carries on this dominating run when the team competes in the Valorant Champions this year.
6) DRX
DRX has been the top contender in Korea, quite similar to LOUD in Brazil. They have won both Stage 1 and Stage 2 this year and will represent their country at the international tournament this year. DRX features a strong trio in MaKo, Rb, and BuZz and is a strong all-around team.
7) Paper Rex
An amazing Stage 1 performance in the APAC S1 Challengers ensured Paper Rex a seat at the Masters Reykjavík. They fell short in the first round against DRX, but they went on to win two rounds against The Guard and G2. They have cemented their spot as one of the two APAC representatives at this year's Champions tournament.
8) XERXIA
XERXIA has been the second-best team but has managed to get into the Champions with their more or less consistent performances in the domestic circuit. They lost both the Stage 1 and Stage 2 Finals against PRX, but their performance was good enough to book them a spot in the Champions this year with 300 circuit points.
9) ZETA DIVISION
Powered by the trio of SugarZ3ro, TENNN, and Laz, ZETA took down the likes of NiP, Liquid, Fnatic, DRX, and Paper Rex on their way to a third-place finish in Masters Reykjavík. The team lost to Northeption in the Japan Stage Two Finals and couldn't make it to Copenhagen. But with Northeption faltering in the Group Stage in Denmark, ZETA Division has now made it to the Champions 2022.
10) Leviatán
Leviatán qualified for the 2022 Champions as they beat XSET in a long 2-1 series with two overtimes in the second game of the VCT 2022 Stage 2 Masters lower bracket. Their run was the most thrilling one before the Last Chance Qualifiers. By winning Stage 2 in the Latin American circuit, they only needed to win one series at VCT Copenhagen in order to qualify for Champions 2022. They lost to DRX but made a stellar comeback against XSET in the three-map series.