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The EMEA Path to Pro consisting of the Challengers leagues has seen several extraordinary pro players to the top of VCT, including talents like Wo0t, Alfajer, RieNs, marteen, and many more. It has been a fundamental cornerstone to the success of EMEA in the history of VCT and it is only set to evolve further with the changes Riot Games has planned for the 2025 season.
Read on more to know about all the new changes made to EMEA Challengers, along with a major announcement for the VCT EMEA Game Changers scene.
VCT 2025 brings major changes to EMEA Challengers, Game Changers, and Premier
Format changes, Championship points, and Ascension
Starting from 2025, Valorant Challengers in EMEA will follow a three-stage structure. Each stage will be further divided into two parts. Every stage will have normal league play, with the specific format for each league to be announced at a later date.
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The top two teams from the various Challengers leagues will advance to a new tournament named Challengers EMEA where the best teams from each region will compete against each other. Due to latency issues, the MENA region can only qualify for the Challengers EMEA event during Stage 3. MENA will have a regional playoff tournament in Stage 1 and Stage 2.
Apart from the format changes, the Challengers scene will witness the introduction of a points-based system to determine the teams that will qualify for the Ascension tournament. Teams gain points depending on their performance across the season. More details regarding the points-based system will be revealed later.
Italy and Portugal's leagues join Spain: Rising
The Challengers Italy and Portugal league will join the Challengers Spain league starting from VCT 2025. Players from Challengers Italy and Portugal won't be considered an import in Challengers Spain. A total of eight teams will participate in the restructured Challengers Spain league. The places in this league will be given to:
- The top four teams in Challengers Spain: Rising (based on total league points in 2024)
- The top team from Challengers Italy: Rinascimento (Ascension 1st Seed)
- The top team from Challengers Portugal: Tempest (Ascension 1st Seed)
- One Wildcard spot
- The winner of a Qualifying Tournament
The wildcard spot will be determined based on factors such as the team's stability, impact on the ecosystem, and more. The qualifying tournament will be open to teams from all three regions. More details about this particular event will be released later.
Updates on Game Changers and Premier
Premier will remain one of the best ways for aspiring EMEA players to go pro. On the other hand, the Game Changers scene will undergo a couple of changes. Game Changers has been a revolutionary system for women and marginalized genders in not just Valorant but all of esports. It has set a benchmark for women in gaming, allowing them to showcase their talents on the biggest stages.
VCT 2025 will introduce an "Express Lane Mechanic" which allows Game Changers teams to participate in Open Qualifiers for the Challengers League without missing out on overlapping Game Changers events.
VCT EMEA Challengers 2024 Stage 3 overview
Stage 3 of the VCT EMEA Challengers 2024 will begin following the conclusion of the Ascension tournament. The starting date for each league is listed below:
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