 |
| (Image Source: VALORANT eSports/Riot Games) |
Riot Games has been implementing major ecosystem changes for the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT), more particularly its series of VCT Challengers tournaments across the globe, which is slated to kick off its latest season within the year. Among these changes is bringing Indonesia, Malaysia/Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Taiwan/Hong Kong into one regional league in the continuing fulfillment of its goal to foster sustainable and thriving VALORANT eSports ecosystems globally and to mark a new chapter in the Asia Pacific (APAC) competitive scene. These give birth to VCT Challengers Southeast Asia (SEA) which is set to take off on September 2024.
Participating teams from the said markets will be deemed qualified to Challengers SEA based on results from this year's VCT Challengers Split 2. The winning teams of the said split will be seeded into the Challengers SEA format alongside top Premier teams. Top ranking teams have a chance for direct slots while remaining Challengers Split 2 participants will be placed into the Invite tier of Premier to fight for a second chance at qualifying. VCT Challengers SEA is set to provide a more premium platform designed around international matchups for professional gaming teams who are bound to test their skills beyond their usual level of competition. The integration of Premier forges a more transparent path-to-pro through VALORANT directly, providing a chance for new players and teams to break into the VCT ecosystem. Teams who succeed at Challengers SEA will not only be recognized as the best in their market, but will also be the best in the Southeast Asian region as a whole. VCT Challengers SEA promises to be an even more entertaining tournament with exciting international matchups and more compelling broadcast value for fans to watch and interact.
Riot Games also announced that the VCT Challengers calendar for this season will be extended to three splits as part of its push for sustainability and a response to the VALORANT gaming and eSports communities' aspiration for an evergreen format that gives teams and players more stability and time to compete and hone their skills. The final split of VCT Challengers 2024 is slated to take place after Ascension where Premier teams will be formally integrated into Challenger leagues across APAC. Further details on the Split 3 formats in APAC will be disclosed and revealed by VCT's regional partners in the coming months. Teams who play in the said split will be competing for qualification to Split 1 of Challengers next year. Here are some major details on various VCT Challengers leagues in APAC for this season.
Challengers Southeast Asia (October–December 2024
• 12 teams from Challengers Southeast Asia leagues (Indonesia, Malaysia/Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan/Hong Kong): The top 2 teams from each Southeast Asian league currently active for Summer Split will qualify for Split 3.
• 4 teams from Premier Episode 9 comprising of 1 team from Act 1 and 3 teams from Act 2
Challengers Japan (October–December 2024)
• 4 teams from Challengers Japan Split 2
• 12 teams from Premier comprising of 4 teams from Episode 8 Act 3, 4 teams from Episode 9 Act 1, and 4 teams from Episode 9 Act 2
Challengers South Korea (October–November 2024)
• 8 teams from Challengers South Korea Split 2
• 8 teams from Premier Episode 9 comprising of 4 teams from Act 1 and 4 teams from Act 2
Challengers South Asia (September–October 2024)
• 8 teams from Challengers South Asia Split 2
• 2 teams from Premier Episode 9 comprising of 1 from Act 1 and 1 from Act 2
• 4 teams from Open Qualifier
Challengers Oceania (October–November 2024)
• 8 teams from Challengers Oceania Split 2
• 8 teams from Premier Episode 9 comprising of 4 from Act 1 and 4 from Act 2
