Riot Games Restructures Valorant Esports for 2023

Valorant Challengers in 2023 will be completely different from what esports fans have seen so far. Riot Games is fully restructuring the competitive esports scene format with international leagues taking the center stage. Riot Games feels that the new format will be crucial for positioning Valorant as a long-term esports title. Starting from 2023, Challengers will have a pathway into the international leagues, and eventually even global events under the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT).

Valorant Challengers 2023 explained

In 2023, Challengers will encompass more than 20 leagues around the world, ensuring every VALORANT player from participating regions can make it to global events. Challenger Leagues will provide highly organized competitions that begin with open qualifiers and ladder the best teams into two splits of multi-week regular season play.

Each Challenger split will culminate in a playoff tournament where a single team will be crowned as that league’s champion! To ensure that these players and teams receive the attention their skills deserve, the biggest Challenger leagues will receive dedicated broadcast windows that will be scheduled to avoid conflicts with international league matches.

The regions eligible for the event are:

Americas

• North America

• North Latin America

• South Latin America

• Brazil

Europe, Middle-East, and Africa (EMEA)

• North Europe

• South Europe (Spain, Italy, and Portugal)

• France and Benelux

• Dach (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland)
  Turkey

• Eastern Europe

• Middle-East and North Africa (MENA)

Pacific

• South Asia and India

• Thailand

• Vietnam

• Malaysia and Singapore

• Korea

• Japan

• Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong

• Philippines

• Indonesia

• Oceania

The final list for Europe may change in the future but the other two regions are finalized.

Challengers Ascension stage

Challenger leagues within each of the three territories will culminate in a new event series that will crown the best team in their territory. Teams who secure victory at the three Challengers Ascension tournaments will earn a spot in the following year’s international league.

Each year, international leagues will expand by one team, until hitting a cap of 14 teams in 2027. Teams who win Challengers Ascension will earn a two-year promotion into their territory’s international league. Promoted teams will have the opportunity to prove themselves against the international league teams during the VCT season, receive similar league benefits, and have an equal chance to qualify for Masters and Champions. After two years, teams will return to their league to battle their way back through Challengers and Ascension tournaments.

Riot Games will reveal more information about international leagues, global events, and partnered teams in the coming weeks.