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Riot Games completely changed the Valorant competitive circuit with the introduction of the new VCT format and the new Ascension League. Although the overall structure is quite similar, the new franchise system that the company introduced has changed the way teams get to participate in the tournament since 2023.
Concerning the VCT, 30 selected teams from three regions will compete for the crown. Others from these regions will compete in sub-regional tournaments, for a spot at the Valorant Ascension League. Winners from this league will make it to the VCT next year.
How will the Valorant Ascension League work?
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The working of the Valorant Ascension League is very simple and the entire globe has been divided into three regions: The Americas, EMEA, and The Pacific. These three regions will have sub-regional tournaments. The sub-regional tournaments will happen over two different stages.
At the end of both stages, the best teams from each of these sub-regional leagues will find themselves competing in the Valorant Ascension League for their region. The teams who win the Ascension League will secure themselves a spot in the VCT for the next two years.
Each of the regions mentioned above will have its Ascension Leagues, and this will continue until 2026. Riot Games aims to bump the number of teams in the international leagues to 14, and this is a very interesting way to do it.
Interestingly enough, teams who manage to secure a spot in the VCT through the Ascension League will be able to retain their spot for a total of two years without any demotion. At the end of this period, they will be demoted to their league again and will have to fight their way through the Ascension League.
Valorant Ascension League estimated start date and participating teams
For now, it's really difficult to comment on the teams that will be participating in the Ascension League. Since it's based entirely on performance, the teams that perform well during the sub-regional leagues in 2023 will be able to secure a spot in the Ascension League.
As for the start dates, Riot Games has detailed out a few time frames rather than exact dates for now. This has been done for the EMEA leg of the tournament, but there's a high chance that other regional leagues will be held during this same time period as well. Here's what the current calendar looks like.
The playoffs for the first stage of the sub-regional leagues are expected to begin sometime between mid-February and early March. This stage will conclude by March 12. The second one will begin on April 1, and the matches will be held every Saturday through to Tuesday. The playoffs for this stage will begin in May and are expected to conclude by June.
Once everything has been wrapped up, the Ascension League will commence. It is expected to start in July. This is just the schedule for the EMEA leg of the tournament.
The remaining leagues will probably follow a similar time frame as well. Overall, the upcoming Valorant competitive season is turning out to be very interesting. Every team will be putting up a performance worth watching.
