The year-long VCT (Valorant Champions Tour) circuit is finally nearing its conclusion. As preparations for the Valorant Champions 2022 are underway, sixteen teams from all competing regions will convene in Istanbul, Turkey, to fight for the title of world champions.
Teams competing in Champions 2022 will begin their Group Stage fixtures on August 31, 2022. Similar to the Stage 2 Masters: Copenhagen, Champions 2022: Istanbul will also welcome a live audience. Fans can witness the new Valorant champions being crowned after the Grand Final matchup on September 18, 2022, live at the Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul.
Out of the sixteen teams that will compete in the tournament, 12 of them sealed their spot with their performances in various events throughout the year. The remaining four teams qualified after emerging as champions within their region's LCQ (Last Chance Qualifier) events.
Here are all the teams that will be flying to Istanbul to compete at Valorant Champions 2022:
- OpTiC Gaming (NA #1 seed)
- XSET (NA #2 seed)
- 100 Thieves (NA LCQ winners)
- FunPlus Phoenix (EMEA #1 seed)
- Fnatic (EMEA #2 seed)
- Team Liquid (EMEA LCQ winners)
- ZETA DIVISION (Japan #1 seed)
- DRX (Korea #1 seed)
- LOUD (Brazil #1 seed)
- Leviatan (LATAM #1 seed)
- KRÜ Esports (SA LCQ winners)
- FURIA (SA LCQ runners-up)
- Paper Rex (APAC #1 seed)
- Xerxia (APAC #2 seed)
- BOOM Esports (APAC LCQ winners)
- EDward Gaming (East-Asia LCQ winners)
Everything to know about Valorant Champions 2022 Istanbul
Format
The tournament will be split into two stages: Groups and Playoffs. In the Group Stage, the sixteen teams will be split into four groups of four teams. Each group will go through a GSL-style double-elimination bracket that sends two teams from each group into the playoffs.
In the playoffs, the eight teams that qualified will compete against each other in a double-elimination bracket once again. The Lower Finals and Grand Finals of Valorant Champions 2022 will be held in a best-of-five series whereas the remaining matches will be best-of-threes.
Tickets
Valorant enthusiasts interested in attending the live event can purchase tickets for through Biletix. Prices for the tickets vary from 130 Turkish lira ($7) to 260 Turkish lira ($14), depending on the match and seating.
Complete schedule
Here is the complete schedule for Valorant Champions 2022, as per Riot Games.
Group Stage schedule:
Day 1
- Paper Rex vs EDward Gaming: Match A1 - Wednesday, August 31 - 7.00 am PDT / 4.00 pm CEST /7.30 pm IST
- Leviatan vs Team Liquid: Match C2 - Wednesday, August 31 - 10.00 am PDT / 7.00 pm CEST / 10.30 pm IST
Day 2
- ZETA DIVISION vs LOUD: Match B2 - Thursday, September 1 - 5.00 am PDT / 2.00 pm CEST / 5.30 pm IST
- OpTic Gaming vs BOOM Esports: Match B1 - Thursday, September 1 - 8.00 am PDT / 5.00 pm CEST / 8.30 pm IST
- Winner of (A1 vs A2): Match A3 - Thursday, September 1 - 11.00 am PDT / 8.00 pm CEST / 11.30 pm IST
Day 3
- DRX vs FURIA: Match D1 - Friday, September 2 - 5.00 am PDT / 2.00 pm CEST / 5.30 pm IST
- Fnatic vs 100 Thieves: Match D2 - Friday, September 2 - 8.00 am PDT / 5.00 pm CEST / 8.30 pm IST
- Winner of (B1 vs B2): Match B3 - Friday, September 2 - 11.00 am PDT / 8.00 pm CEST / 11.30 pm IST
Day 4
- XSET vs XERXIA: Match C2 - Saturday, September 3 - 5.00 am PDT / 2.00 pm CEST / 5.30 pm IST
- FPX vs KRU Esports: Match C1 - Saturday, September 3 - 8.00 am PDT / 5.00 pm CEST / 8.30 pm IST
- Winner of (D1 vs D2): Match D3 - Saturday, September 3 - 11.00 am PDT / 8.00 pm CEST / 11.30 pm IST
Day 5
- Winner of (C1 vs C2): Match C3 - Sunday, September 4 - 5.00 am PDT / 2.00 pm CEST / 5.30 pm IST
- Loser of (A1 vs A2): Match A4 - Sunday, September 4 - 8.00 am PDT / 5.00 pm CEST / 8.30 pm IST
- Loser of (B1 vs B2): Match B4 - Sunday, September 4 - 11.00 am PDT / 8.00 pm CEST / 11.30 pm IST
Day 6
- Loser of (D1 vs D2): Match D4 - Monday, September 5 - 7.00 am PDT / 4.00 pm CEST / 7.30 pm IST
- Loser of (C1 vs C2): Match C4 - Monday, September 5 - 10.00 am PDT / 7.00 pm CEST / 10.30 pm IST
Dark Day
- No matches: Tuesday, September 6
Day 7
- Decider (B) - Wednesday, September 7 - 7.00 am PDT / 4.00 pm CEST / 7.30 pm IST
- Decider (A) - Wednesday, September 7 - 10.00 am PDT / 7.00 pm CEST / 10.30 pm IST
Day 8
- Decider (D) - Thursday, September 8 - 7.00 am PDT / 4.00 pm CEST / 7.30 pm IST
- Decider (C) - Thursday, September 8 - 10.00 am PDT / 7.00 pm CEST / 10.30 pm IST
Playoffs schedule:
Day 9
- Upper Quarterfinals - Friday, September 9 - 7.00 am PDT / 4.00 pm CEST / 7.30 pm IST
- Upper Quarterfinals - Friday, September 9 - 10.00 am PDT / 7.00 pm CEST / 10.30 pm IST
Day 10
- Upper Quarterfinals - Saturday, September 10 - 7.00 am PDT / 4.00 pm CEST / 7.30 pm IST
- Upper Quarterfinals - Saturday, September 10 - 10.00 am PDT / 7.00 pm CEST / 10.30 pm IST
Day 11
- Upper Semifinals - Sunday, September 11 - 7.00 am PDT / 4.00 pm CEST / 7.30 pm IST
- Upper Semifinals - Sunday, September 11 - 10.00 am PDT / 7.00 pm CEST / 10.30 pm IST
Day 12
- Lower Round 1 - Monday, September 12 - 7.00 am PDT / 4.00 pm CEST / 7.30 pm IST
- Lower Round 1 - Monday, September 12 - 10.00 am PDT / 7.00 pm CEST / 10.30 pm IST
Day 13
- Lower Round 2 - Tuesday, September 13 - 7.00 am PDT / 4.00 pm CEST / 7.30 pm IST
- Lower Round 2 - Tuesday, September 13 - 10.00 am PDT / 7.00 pm CEST / 10.30 pm IST
Dark Days
- No matches: Wednesday, September 14 - Thursday, September 15
Day 14
- Upper Final - Friday, September 16 - 7.00 am PDT / 4.00 pm CEST / 7.30 pm IST
- Lower Semifinal - Friday, September 16 - 10.00 am PDT / 7.00 pm CEST / 10.30 pm IST
Day 15
- Lower Finals - Saturday, September 17 - 7.00 am PDT / 4.00 pm CEST / 7.30 pm IST
Day 16
- Grand Finals - Sunday, September 18 - 7.00 am PDT / 4.00 pm CEST / 7.30 pm IST
Where to watch
Valorant enthusiasts from all over the world can tune into Valorant Champions 2022 live on Valorant's official handles across Twitch and YouTube. In addition, various renowned streamers and players will be hosting official Valorant watch parties in various languages.