Cover-Credits:
According to investigative reporter Alejandro Gomis Valorant Champions 2023 is headed to Los Angeles, United States and will most likely be the host city. The first two Champions events were hosted in Europe and fans in the United States will finally get the opportunity to view the event in their home country. The dates of the event have already been locked in according to Gomis and an official announcement will be made later this year.
Champions 2023 can eclipse previous world championships
Valorant Champions 2022 was a major milestone for Valorant esports and 2023 is expected to be even bigger with the introduction of the international leagues. The kickoff event for 2023 will commence in February at Sao Paulo, Brazil. After the kickoff event, the regular season will commence in the Americas League, the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) league and Pacific 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 Valorant Champions Tour (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. The qualification to the league has also been tweaked in the new format. Instead of the old Challengers format, we have a brand system. 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.
The goal of teams that are not part of franchised leagues is to make their way through Challengers events and qualify for international events. In addition to the international leagues and flagship LANs, Riot Games will also continue building the popular Game Changers circuit and partner with third-party tournament organizers for events across the globe in 2023.
