VALORANT’s largest international tournament and first world championship officially opens on December 1st. After a three-stage qualifying round and an additional set of LCQs (last chance qualifiers), the 16-team group stage has been finalized.
Hailing from nine different regions, the following teams have qualified for VALORANT Champions 2021:
EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa)
- Gambit Esports, qualified via Masters Berlin
- Team Liquid, qualified via EMEA LCQ
- Fnatic, qualified via EMEA Circuit Points
- Acend, qualified via EMEA Circuit Points
NA (North America)
- Sentinels, qualified via NA Circuit Points
- Team Envy, qualified via NA Circuit Points
- Cloud9 Blue, qualified via NA LCQ
LATAM (Latin America)
- KRÜ Esports, qualified via LATAM Circuit Points
APAC (Asia-Pacific)
- Full Sense, qualified via APAC LCQ
SEA (Southeast Asia)
- X10 CRIT, qualified via SEA Circuit Points
- Team Secret, qualified via SEA Circuit Points
JP (Japan)
- Crazy Raccoon, qualified via JP Circuit Points
BR (Brazil)
- Team Vikings, qualified via BR Circuit Points
- Keyd Stars, qualified via BR Circuit Points
KR (Korea)
- Vision Strikers, qualified via KR Circuit Points
SA (South America)
- Furia Esports, qualified via SA Last Chance
VALORANT Champions 2021 | Stage Formatting and Distribution
As typical, the group stage for VALORANT Champions 2021 will be in the double-elimination format. The 16 qualifying teams will be divided into four different groups. Groups were determined in a lottery-style, with teams from each group being drawn from a bowl, alternating from group to group. In their format release video, the Riot VALORANT team revealed that they aimed to separate teams from each region into different groups.
All matches in the group stage will be held in a best of three format, as a tradition in the previous legs of the VCT. The top two teams from each group will advance to the playoffs, where they will be randomly distributed and separated from the other advancing team from their group.
The playoffs will also be held in a best of three format with the exception of the grand finals which will be a best of five. In typical playoff fashion, you have to win to advance. If you lose, you will be eliminated from the tournament. Additionally, Chamber will not be available to be played during the tournament. Because he was officially released within the past week, teams have not had adequate time to fully learn his mechanics and utility, providing an unfair advantage to teams that have exposed glitches or exploits that have not been patched yet.
Group Stage Distribution and Prize Pool
Per the lottery-style drawings, the group stages are as follows:
Group A
- Acend
- Team Envy
- X10 CRIT
- Keyd Stars
Group B
- Sentinels
- KRÜ Esports
- Team Liquid
- FURIA Esports
Group C
- Gambit Esports
- Team Vikings
- Team Secret
- Crazy Raccoon
Group D
- Vision Strikers
- Fnatic
- FULL SENSE
- Cloud9 Blue
The first-place team in the tournament will receive the largest chunk of the $1,000,000 prize pool at 35%, or $350,000. The second-place team will receive 15%, or $150,000. The third and fourth place teams will each receive 9%, or $90,000. The fifth through eighth place teams will each receive 4%, or $40,000. Lastly, the ninth through sixteenth place teams will each receive 2%, or $20,000.
The opening match of the tournament will begin on December 1st at 9:00 AM EST where Group D’s Vision Strikers will take on FULL Sense. Don’t miss it!
Stay with Esports All Star for more tournament previews and picks!
