How Do Valorant Tournaments Work?
By Roger on May 2nd, 2025, 05:49
Forget your ranked grind for a moment and prepare for the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT). We’re talking Valorant esports. But how does it all work? How does a team go from basement scrims to carrying the VCT trophy? Buckle up, because we're about to decode the thrill of professional Valorant tournaments organized by Riot Games.
Think of the Valorant esports ecosystem, primarily orchestrated by developer Riot Games, not as a single ladder like ranked queue, but as a multi-tiered pyramid. Each level presents a unique challenge, filtering the best from the rest, culminating in global showdowns that crown world champions. It’s a testing path from raw talent to pro.
For most aspiring pros, the journey begins closer to home than you might think – right inside the game client itself. Meet Valorant Premier, Riot's integrated competitive system. This is the official grassroots starting line for organized Valorant tournament play.
Here's how it works. You join a team (or form one), check the details for the VCT schedule on the Premier hub within the client, and compete in weekly matches against teams of similar skill within your division. Perform well enough, and your squad qualifies for the end-of-stage playoff tournament. Winning it is the first crucial step.
Since its integration into the VCT ecosystem, the highest level of Premier, Contender, serves as the direct entry point into the Challengers Leagues. For the best teams to reach the top, they must participate in this tournament, which is based on in-game tournament matches.
You can even track your progress via the Premier tab of the career history. It's the proving ground where raw talent gets its first taste of structured competition.
Successfully navigating Premier catapults teams into the next tier: the VCT Challengers Leagues. Think of these as intense events of the tour-regional leagues operating across the globe. This is where semi-professional and top amateur teams compete to advance to the international masters. The competition here is fierce, a significant step up from Premier.
The prize at this level, beyond regional glory, is a chance to make it big via the Challengers Ascension tournament. Each major VCT region (Americas, EMEA, Pacific) hosts an Ascension event, pitting the top Challenger Teams against each other. The winning team doesn't just get a trophy; they earn promotion into their region's International League for the following VCT season.
It’s a high-stakes playoff tournament offering a direct route to the highest level of competitive Valorant. As of 2025, promotion via Ascension lasts one year. Teams must perform well to retain their spot or be relegated back to Challengers.
Currently split into VCT Americas, VCT EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), and VCT Pacific, these leagues are where the world's elite organizations clash. These feature partnered teams and established organizations selected by Riot Games, alongside the winners of the previous year's Ascension tournaments.
The format typically involves a regular season of league play, where teams fight for seeding, followed by intense playoff tournaments. Performance here is critical. It determines not only regional champions but also which teams advance to the international Masters.
Top teams earn qualification spots for the global Masters tournaments and the ultimate prize: Valorant Champions. Watching a VCT Americas or EMEA playoff match is witnessing Valorant played at its absolute peak.
Twice a year, the best teams from each International League converge for Valorant Masters events. These international tournaments are major milestones in the VCT season, offering hefty prize pools, circuit points (crucial for Champions qualification), and the chance to test regional dominance on a global stage. Winning a Masters title cements a team's place among the world's best.
And then, there's the grand finale: Valorant Champions. This is the final tournament of the VCT year, the World Championship event where teams battle to become champions and etch their names into Valorant history.
Qualification is earned through top placements in international leagues, success at Masters tournaments, and occasionally via a Last Chance Qualifier, ensuring that only the most consistently excellent top 16 teams (approximately the same number each year) make it. Winning Champions is the ultimate goal.
It's vital to spotlight another crucial pillar of the Valorant tournament landscape: VCT Game Changers. This is a parallel competitive program specifically designed to supplement the main Valorant Champions Tour, creating opportunities and exposure for women and other underrepresented genders within Valorant esports. It has its own regional series and culminates in the prestigious Game Changers World Championship, showcasing incredible talent and providing a vital platform for competitions.
Keeping up with the Valorant esports schedule is easier than ever. Matches across all major tiers, from VCT Challengers to International Masters and Champions, are typically streamed live on platforms like Twitch and YouTube, often with dedicated channels for each regional league.
Feeling inspired? The path, while challenging, is clearer than ever. Grind in ranked, find teammates, and sign up for Premier. Dedicate yourself to improvement, study from the Valorant pros, and maybe, you'll find yourself climbing through the three tiers of this esports scene.
