VCT Stage 1 Challengers 2022: Teams, Prize Pool, Streams & More (NA/EMEA)

The wait is finally over! Valorant Championship Tour is back with the 6-week Challengers tournaments to determine the first participants of the Valorant Masters.

Vct 2022 bq
Ready to watch some high level Valorant? | © VCT

It wasn't a boring off-season. The last few weeks have brought us numerous exciting roster changes in the biggest organizations and regional qualifiers, where we have also seen some high-level Valorant gameplay. However, this "preparation season" can't last forever, so we're happy to say that Challengers tournaments are returning for all regions in just a couple of days. Check out what it will look like for NA and EMEA!

VCT Stage 1 Challengers 2022: North America

VCT Stage 1 Challengers NA will be a 12-team BO3 Round-Robin tournament, with the top 8 teams advancing to a Single Elimination playoff phase. The first games begin as soon as February 11 and will run through March 27.

Teams

V1 zellsis
Will Vesion1 will be the team to watch out for in 2022? | © VCT

NA teams could qualify for VCT Challengers Stage 1 either by being one of the top VCT Circuit points earners in 2021 (4 slots) or reaching top 4 in one of the two Open Qualifier tournaments (8 slots).

TeamQualified from
SentinelsVCT 2021 Standings
Team EnvyVCT 2021 Standings
Cloud9VCT 2021 Standings
100ThievesVCT 2021 Standings
Version1Open Qualifier #1
XSETOpen Qualifier #1
The GuardOpen Qualifier #1
NRGOpen Qualifier #1
Evil GeniusesOpen Qualifier #2
KnightsOpen Qualifier #2
Luminosity GamingOpen Qualifier #2
RiseOpen Qualifier #2

Prize Pool Distribution

The prize pool for VCT Stage 1 Challengers NA will be $200,000 (which is 4 times bigger than last year), and will be distributed as follows:

PlacePrize
1st$50,000 + Masters slot
2nd$32,000 + Masters slot
3rd$26,000
4th$20,000
5th/6th$14,000
7th/8th$10,000
9th-12th$6,000

Stream

Just like every big NA tournament, you'll be able to watch all the VCT Stage 1 Challengers NA games on the official VALORANT Twitch.tv & VCT YouTube channels.

VCT Stage 1 Challengers 2022: EMEA

Just like NA, VCT Stage 1 Challengers 2022 EMEA will be a 12-team BO3 Round-Robin tournament, but with only 6 teams qualifying to the Single Elimination playoff phase. The first games begin as soon as February 11 and will run through March 27.

Teams

Acend vct december 2021
Will Acend continue its dominance? | © VCT

EMEA teams could qualify for VCT Challengers Stage 1 either by being one of the top VCT Circuit points earners in 2021 (4 slots) or by achieving the required placement in one of the Closed Regional Qualifiers(8 slots)

TeamQualified from
AcendVCT 2021 Standings
Gambit EsportsVCT 2021 Standings
Team LiquidVCT 2021 Standings
FnaticVCT 2021 Standings
Guild EsportsEU Closed Qualifier #1
BIGEU Closed Qualifier #1
G2 EsportsEU Closed Qualifier #2
LDN UTDEU Closed Qualifier #2
FunPlus PhoenixCIS Closed Qualifier #1
Natus VincereCIS Closed Qualifier #2
SuperMassive BlazeTR Closed Qualifier #1
BBL EsportsTR Closed Qualifier #2

Prize Pool

The prize pool for VCT Stage 1 Challengers EMEA will be €200,000, which is even more for NA. This is a nice surprise, especially since usually the prize pool for EMEA tournaments is a bit smaller, although with the way it's distributed, it actually means that the last place teams will get a little more money.

PlacePrize
1st€40,000
2nd€30,000
3rd€22,000
4th€18,000
5th/6th€15,000
7th/8th€12,000
9th/10th€10,000
11th/12th€8,000

Stream

Just as for NA, you'll be able to watch all the VCT Stage 1 Challengers EMEA games on the official VALORANT Twitch.tv & VCT YouTube channels.

Szymon Bielawski

I've been into competitive gaming and eSports since I was a kid. I started out in the local CS:GO scene and ended up performing at the international major tournaments like Hearthstone Masters Tour. The competitive gaming world discovered a new...