Valorant tournaments are managed exclusively by RIOT Games. Like with League of Legends, they have brought their game’s esports in-house. This means they have full control over the regulations, structure and schedule of each tournament. The Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) is the main tournament series for Valorant. They also have Challenger leagues which act as a qualification funnel for players and teams to make it to the VCT.
Since the whole industry understands RIOT Games ethos when it comes to esports, many are confident they will do a good job in growing their scene. Since launch they have already come a long way. They have learned a lot from the game’s main competitor, CSGO. With the added attention and involvement with the scene compared with Valve, many see Valorant as becoming the ‘next big thing’. This is not just when it comes to esports, but also the betting scene. There is a long way still to bridge the gap with the top 3 games, but Valorant is already well on its way. Notably, almost all esports bookmakers are now offering markets for Valorant.
What are the biggest Valorant tournaments?
The whole circuit of Valorant tournaments surrounds the Valorant Champions Tour. VCT 2023 has several stages to it, with a large portion of it to satisfy the main regions. The main regions are the Americas, EMEA and Pacific. Prior to the commencement of the league format, there is usually a special LOCK IN event. In 2023 it was hosted in Sao Paulo. Winning this event secures qualification in the Masters event later in the year.
After the league system is completed, teams will compete in Valorant’s Masters event. In 2023 it is based in Tokyo. This is what ultimately leads up to the Valorant Champions event at the end of the year. Slots are based on qualification where the final chance is at the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ).
The largest prize pools in Valorant float around the $1,000,000 mark for the Valorant Champions tournaments towards the end of each year. Previously this has been won by teams such as LOUD and ACEND.
The VCT Challenger League is also an essential part of the esports eco-system for Valorant. These are split into many regions and sub-regions.
- Americas
- Brazil
- Latin America North
- Latin America South
- North America
- Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)
- DACH: Evolution
- East: Surge
- France: Revolution
- Italy: Rinascimiento
- Middle East and North Africa: Resilience
- Northern Europe: Polaris
- Portugal: Tempest
- Spain: Rising
- Turkey: Birlik
- Pacific
- Hong Kong and Taiwan
- Indonesia
- Japan
- Malaysia and Singapore
- Oceania
- Philippines
- South Asia
- South Korea
- Thailand
- Vietnam
These regions will have teams that qualify to the Ascension tournaments which is the direct promotion path to get into the VCT.
What are the best Valorant events to bet on?
Due to the strong regional focus on Valorant, it is very possible to develop an expert understanding on a particular area of Valorant. If you become fluent with knowledge of a region, then that is how you can best identify a strong tournament to bet on. However, due to the scale of tier 1 teams performing – you can also bet on the various LOCK IN and Master events through the year.
Since Valorant uses similar in game mechanics and formats to CSGO and CS2, you can find growing number of betting markets on offer. And due to it being a widely understood game, bookmaker traders are also becoming a bit wiser with the esports betting odds that they offer.
Always make sure you are only betting with what you can afford to lose. Do check out our betting tips if you want to educate yourself more on the growing esports betting scene.
