VCT Champions 2022 Istanbul Group B: Overview, head-to-head, predictions, and more

A year of international and regional Valorant games, from qualifiers to playoffs, has led fans to the ultimate event of the VCT 2022 season: the Valorant Champions 2022 tournament. The month-long tournament is just around the corner, and this year’s world championships are expected to draw in a large crowd.

This is the first VCT Champions event to ever take place in front of a live crowd for the entire duration of the event. The tournament, which starts on August 31 and ends on September 18, will be held at the Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. Fans can't wait to see their favorite teams battle for the Champions trophy.

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Everything fans need to know about Group B in Valorant Champions Istanbul 2022 (VCT 2022)

Acend was crowned winner in the inaugural VCT Champions tournament held last year and took home $1,000,000 in prize money. This year's teams will be expecting a similar prize pool. Sixteen teams are split into four groups comprising four teams each, with the top two teams advancing to the playoffs.

Additionally, the format has been tweaked a bit. This year's VCT format foregoes last year's single-elimination in favor of a double-elimination this year, ensuring twice as much action. Ahead of the group stage action, here are the predictions and expectations from the Valorant Champions 2022 group stage.

Group B can be called a "Group of Death," with OpTic and LOUD being the invincible teams in the group. These are the four teams in Group B who will be battling it out to get to the next stage:

• OpTic Gaming
• BOOM Esports
• ZETA DIVISION
• LOUD

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Overview of the participating teams

Group B of VCT Champions 2022 is the culmination of Davids and Goliaths, with OpTic and LOUD being the top contenders, and it's no surprise who the Goliaths are.

OpTic Gaming and LOUD have quite a bit of rivalry between them. Although OpTic has remained the stronger team, they both fell out of the cloud after their quick exit at the second Valorant Masters.

Both teams come into the tournament with a chip on their shoulders and must qualify for the playoffs to keep their dream of winning the title alive.

Now let's talk about the underdogs, ZETA Division, the Japanese team, and BOOM Esports, the team from Indonesia. ZETA Division, the team with a loyal fanbase, will have to give it their all to make it through this tough group.

BOOM Esports, considered one of the tournament's dark horses, still stands in the shadows of regional behemoths such as XERXIA and PRX. The Southeast Asian team is used to coming in second or third place in the APAC regional tournaments and is yet to make a mark on the international Valorant stage as it will be their first LAN international.

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Head-to-head results

Most of these teams haven't gone against each other before this. OpTic and LOUD have faced each other twice, with OpTic winning one and LOUD winning the other in previously held VCT tournaments.

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Predictions

The opening matches of the VCT Champions 2022 will pit OpTic Gaming against BOOM Esports and ZETA Division against LOUD. OpTic and LOUD are expected to win their early encounters. Since it is a double bracket elimination this time, it will certainly be interesting to see an underdog qualify for the playoffs.

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When and where to watch

The Schedule for Group B is as follows:

• ZETA DIVISION vs. LOUD: Match B2 - Thursday, September 1 - 5 am PDT / 2 pm CEST / 5.30 pm IST
• OpTic Gaming vs. BOOM Esports: Match B1 - Thursday, September 1 - 8 am PDT / 5 pm CEST / 8.30 pm IST
• Winner of (B1 vs B2): Match B3 - Friday, September 2 - 11 am PDT / 8 pm CEST / 11.30 pm IST
• Loser of (B1 vs. B2): Match B4 - Sunday, September 4 - 11 am PDT / 8 pm CEST / 11.30 pm IST
• Decider (TBD) - Wednesday, September 7 - 7 am PDT / 4 pm CEST / 7.30 pm IST

Esports fans can watch all the upcoming VCT matches live on the official Valorant handles on YouTube and Twitch. Additionally, Riot will give away rewards to all viewers who watch the stream by connecting their Riot accounts to the platform of their choice.