Riot announce Valorant Champions Tour circuit for 2021

Valorant fans have been hoping for some form of League of Legends style world championship for Riot Games’ new FPS, and it’s coming in 2021 in the form of the Valorant Champions Tour. 

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While Valorant may still be in its infancy, the game’s esports scene has attracted a lot of attention. With First Strike tournaments taking place in almost all regions and the Global Finals just about ready to go, it’s about time that Riot Games announced a competition similar to that of LoL’s World Championships.

Well, Riot have heard the community’s calls and have created the Valorant Champions Tour, launching in 2021. A year-long circuit that will culminate in the Champions Tour, where one team will be crowned the best of the best.

So, how will this event work? Who are involved? And, most importantly, when is it?

Valorant Champions Tour: Format

The Champions Tour will run in a similar format to the League of Legends esports scene, using a tried and tested format that has worked for Riot Games before.

• Read More: Riot reveals plan to revert Valorant First Strike Global Finals patch

Teams from all across the globe will participate in their local Challengers tournament, which will act as a qualifier for the respective Masters tournament. From here, the top teams from each region will battle it out to qualify for the final Champions tournament — akin to LoL’s Worlds event.

Easy right? Well, maybe not. The tournament setup could be a little confusing for players and fans new to Riot Games’ esports scene, so we’ve got a guide outlining everything you need to know right here.

When does the Champions Tour start?

The Champions Tour will run throughout the entirety of 2021, with contingency measures in place to ensure that tournaments will go ahead as planned. The qualifying parts of the circuit — Challengers, and Masters — have been scheduled to alternate each month, with slight spaces in between to ensure that players don’t burn out.

• Read More: Riot confirm that dedicated tournament servers are coming

The final event, Valorant Champions, will take place between November and December of 2021, where one team will be crowned the first-ever Valorant Champions.

Given the quality of play seen during the First Strike tournaments, teams are clearly ready to go head-to-head for the title of Valorant Champion.

So get strapped in, this is going to be a wild ride for players and spectators alike!