Riot is working hard on the Valorant esports scene. After the conclusion of the Ignition Series, the next large event is already coming. With Valorant First Strike the next series of Valorant tournaments are set to begin.
Valorant esports started out with a bang but still has a long way to go. The Ignition Series was the first series of tournaments for the tactical shooter and Riot worked together with different organizers. That won't be the case in the next series which has already been announced: Valorant First Strike! This time the event will be organized by Riot themselves and tournaments around the globe will take place in the various regions.
Valorant First Strike: Qualifiers and Main Event
The event takes place in several regions. First, the Open Qualifiers take place, where the eight best teams qualify for the main event. The regions are divided into Majors and Minors, with the former being of course bigger events with larger prize pools. The following regions are represented:
- North America (Major)
- Europe (Major)
- Korea (Major)
- South America (Major)
- CIS (Minor)
- Turkey (Minor)
- Japan (Minor)
- Asia (Minor)
- Oceania (Minor)
- Brazil (Minor)
Europe First Strike Format
The qualifiers in Europe are spread out into two weeks. Each week 32 teams compete in three rounds for a place on the main stage. The best four teams each week qualify for the main event, which will take place December 3-6. A total of eight teams will play for the European crown of the First Strike event. You can find the exact information in the following overview.
The Other Regions
So far not all regions have exact dates. In addition to Europe, further information is already available for NA, Brazil, and Korea. However, the formats look slightly different depending on the region. In North America, the preliminary round is split into several qualifiers and tournaments, through which the teams have to fight their way. The top four from tournaments 1 and 2 will qualify for the main stage, which will also take place from December 3-6.
North America
- Open Qualifier 1: October 26 - 30
- Tournament 1: November 4 - 8
- Open Qualifier 2: November 11 - 15
- Tournament 2: November 18 - 22
- Finals: December 3 - 6
Brazil
- Open Qualifiers: October 17 to November 8
- Closed Qualifier: November 14 - 15
- Finals: December 3 - 6
Korea
- Open Qualifiers: October 6 - 28
- Closed Qualifier: November 22
- Finals: December 3 - 6
Some regions are also keeping quiet about the prize money. In NA, a total of $100,000 in prize money is planned for the main event. Since this is a major region, the prize money from Europe should be in a similar range if not the exact same. We will keep you updated on any further details. If you don't want to miss the games, you can follow the action live on the official Valorant Twitch channel.
More news about Valorant and the world of gaming can be found on EarlyGame and the EarlyGame YouTube channel!
