Valorant’s VCT Kickoff 2025 Starts – Everything About Matchups, Teams And Prizes!

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Just like every year, Riot Games initiates the esports competition with the launch of their international tournaments.

Beginning on January 15th, squads hailing from the Europe, Middle East, Africa, Americas, Pacific, and China zones will engage in competition to secure a place at the upcoming Masters tournament in Bangkok.

A great deal is at stake: The leading four teams aren’t just fighting for a substantial amount of Championship Points, but the top two positions will also guarantee participation in the upcoming prestigious Masters event, which awards the most Championship Points.

For your convenience, we’ve gathered all essential details and important dates regarding the upcoming Launch Event.

VCT Kickoff EMEA

From January 15 to February 9, the top international teams will compete in regional tournaments.

TAKE WHAT’S YOURS.

The #VCTEMEA Kickoff starts on January 15!

— VALORANT Esports EMEA (@valesports_emea) January 13, 2025

They’ll compete to earn the most points towards their championship title, aiming to qualify for the final “Champions” tournament taking place in Paris. A total of 12 teams from EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) will engage in a double-elimination tournament format. The matches will be conducted in Best-of-3 and Best-of-5 rounds.

Here are the matchups planned for the first rounds:

Round 1: (January 15-16)

  1. Team Liquid (Netherlands) vs. KOI (Spain)
  2. Karmine Corp (France) vs. Natus Vincere (Ukraine)
  3. BBL Sports (Turkey) vs. GIANTX (Spain/UK)
  4. Apeks (Norway) vs. Gentles Mates (France)

Round 2:

In Round 2, the final four out of the twelve EMEA teams have been pre-positioned due to their qualification for the 2024 Champions tournament, which allows them to bypass the initial round and proceed directly to the second.

The winners from Round 1 will face:

  1. FUT Esports (Turkey) / January 22
  2. Team Vitality (France) / January 17
  3. Fnatic (UK) / January 17
  4. Team Heretics (Spain) / January 22

Participants who triumphed in the Ascension tournaments of 2023 and 2024 are entitled to compete as well. The Ascension tournament provides an opportunity for teams from local Challenger leagues to advance into the global Valorant Champions Tour (VCT), earning one of the twelve regional spots in the international leagues.

In the EMEA region, the games Gentle Mates (2023) and Apeks (2024) seized the chance to move up to the global arena and will face off in the Valorant Champions Tournament (VCT) of 2025.

As the competition advances, the rest of the games will be decided. The games will take place at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin. You can get your tickets right here. Furthermore, all matches will be streamed live on Twitch, complete with expert commentary and analysis.

VCT Kickoff America

Beginning on January 16th, the American version of the Kickoff tournament will commence, highlighting some of the top players from the Valorant eSports world demonstrating their talents.

THE SHOWSTOPPERS.#VCTAmericas Kickoff | Jan 16 – Feb 8

— VALORANT Esports NA (@valesportsna) January 13, 2025

In each Kickoff region, leading contenders will go head-to-head with their strongest adversaries, all vying for crucial Championship Points and a place in the Masters.

Competitors from every Kickoff region are set to meet their toughest opponents, aiming for Championship Points and qualification to the Masters. The stakes remain the same across all regions.

Here are the matchups for the first round:

Round 1 (January 16-18)

  1. Evil Geniuses (US/Canada) vs. LOUD (Brazil)
  2. MIBR (Brazil) vs. 100 Thieves (US)
  3. NRG (US) vs. Cloud9 (US)
  4. 2GAME Esports (Brazil) vs. FURIA Esports (Brazil)

Round 2

In the second stage of the competition, the top four American teams have been pre-positioned. Since they participated in the 2024 Champion’s event, they bypass the initial round and advance straight to the second one.

The winners from Round 1 will face:

  1. KRÜ Esports (Argentina) / January 18
  2. Sentinels (US) / January 19
  3. G2 Esports (US/Germany) / January 20
  4. Leviatán (Argentina) / January 19

The Ascension teams are G2 Esports and 2GAME Esports.

As the tournament progresses, the rest of the games will be decided. The matches will take place at the Riot Games Arena in Los Angeles. If you’d like to attend, tickets are available here. Additionally, all games will be streamed live on Twitch, featuring expert commentary and analysis.

VCT Kickoff Pacific

In a few days’ time, starting from January 18th and running through to February 9th, professional teams hailing from the Asian region will commence their competition. The rules and prizes remain consistent, but we can anticipate some thrilling debutants from Ascension joining in as well.

The #VCTPacific Stage 2 Grand Finals Weekend will be held in Tokyo, Japan!

— VCT Pacific (@vctpacific) January 14, 2025

Here are the matchups for the first round:

Round 1 (January 18-19)

  1. BOOM Esports (Indonesia) vs. T1 (Korea/US)
  2. Global Esports (India) vs. Team Secret (Phillippines/Europe)
  3. DetonatioN FM (Japan) vs. Rex Regum Qeon (Indonesia)
  4. ZETA DIVISION (Japan) vs. Nongshim RedForce (Korea)

Round 2

In the second round, the top 4 teams from the Pacific region have been pre-positioned. They qualify for this due to their involvement in the 2024 Champions tournament, which allows them to bypass the initial round and proceed straight to the second one.

The winners from Round 1 will face:

  1. Paper Rex (Singapore/Indonesia) / January 20
  2. TALON (Hong Kong/Thailand) / January 25
  3. Gen.G Esports (Korea/US) / January 25
  4. DRX (Korea) / January 20

The Ascension teams are Nongshim RedForce (2023) and BOOM Esports (2024).

As the competition unfolds, each subsequent match will decide its winner. These contests are scheduled to take place at the Sangam Coliseum located in Seoul, and for those who can’t attend in person, all matches will be broadcast live on Twitch, featuring commentary and expert analysis.

VCT Kickoff China

Kicking off my gaming journey on January 11, I’ll be immersed in the VCT Kickoff games in China until the 25th. It’s a thrill to get back into the game as last year’s Valorant Champions Tour champion, Edward Gaming, takes the stage once more.

Starting next week, the VCT 2025 Season will kick off! Here are the official dates for each region:

– China: January 11
– EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa): January 15
– Americas (North and South America): January 16
– Pacific (Asia-Pacific): January 18

— Valorant News (@ValorINTEL) January 9, 2025

With the triumphant victory of a Chinese squad the previous year serving as an inspiration, this year’s competition finds itself more driven than ever before.

Here are the matchups from the first round:

Round 1 (January 11-12)

  1. XLG Esports vs. Wolves Esports = 2:0
  2. TYLOO vs. Titan Esports Club = 0:2
  3. JD Gaming vs. Dragon Ranger = 1:2
  4. All Gamers vs. Nova Esports = 0:2

Round 2

After the initial contest is over, the pairs for the following round, happening on January 16 and 17, have been determined.

  1. XLG Esports vs. Bilibili Gaming / January 16
  2. Titan Esports Club vs. FunPlus Phoenix / January 16
  3. Dragon Ranger vs. Trace Esports / January 17
  4. Nova Esports vs. EDward Gaming / January 17

The Ascension teams are Dragon Ranger Gaming (2023) and XLG Esports (2024).

Further matches will hinge on the development of the tournament. In the lower bracket, teams that lost in Round 1 can still keep their place in the competition and strive to reach the finals. The games are taking place at the VCT CN Arena in Shanghai.

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2025-01-15 12:39