After various stages of the competition, from VCT Challenges to VCT Masters, and LCQ, the top performing teams have qualified for the ultimate tournament of the year, i.e., Valorant Champions 2022.
The global finale of the Valorant Champions 2022 will take place near the end of August to the middle of September. 16 global teams will take part in the esports event, where various teams from different regions will fight against each other for the title and a share of the prize pool.
Riot has revealed all the details for Valorant Champions 2022, including the format, teams qualified, venue, dates, and finally, the prize pool. So, let’s take a look at these key details for the Valorant Champions 2022.
What is Valorant Champions 2022?
Valorant Champions Istanbul is the third and final event of the VCT 2022 season. It is the biggest event of the year, the culminating tournament of the season that all teams have been working towards. The tournament features 16 of the best Valorant teams from North America, Latin America, EMEA, Asia Pacific, and East Asia.
Start Date and Venue
Valorant Champions 2022 has already kicked off. The tournament is being run from August 31 to September 18, in Istanbul. Similar to the VCT Masters Stage 2, this event is also being played in front of a live audience.
“Our goal is to see our biggest international events played in front of a live audience, and both of these cities provide clear pathways towards this goal, while also providing the best possible guarantee that all qualified teams will be able to safely attend and compete,” Riot said while announcing the details of the 2022 Valorant Champions and Masters Stage.
Dates
The first stage of the Valorant Champions 2022 – Group Play, will start on August 31. Here, the teams will go through an eight-team double elimination bracket, which will continue until September 8.
From September 9 onwards, the Bracket Stage matches will be held, which will end on September 13. However, this leads to the dark days on September 14 and 15, where no matches will be played.
The Lower and Upper semifinals will happen on September 16, and the winners will play in the lower finals on September 17. Finally, the last stage of the tournament is the Valorant Champions Grand Final, which will be held on September 18.
| DATE | EVENT |
| August 31 | Group Play |
| September 9 | Bracket Stage |
| September 14 and 15 | Dark Days (no matches) |
| September 16 | Lower semifinals and upper finals |
| September 18 | Grand final |
Teams
Valorant Champions will feature 16 teams battling it out for the ultimate trophy. These will include the ten teams from the regular season and six teams from the Last Chance Qualifiers from different regions. Below is the list of all teams that qualified for Valorant Champions 2022 (VCT 2022):
North America – 3 Teams
- Optic Gaming
- XSET
- 100Thieves
EMEA – 3 Teams
- FPX
- FNATIC
- Team Liquid
Brazil – 2 Teams
- LOUD
- FURIA Esports
- LATAM – 2 teams
- Leviatán
- KRÜ Esports
APAC – 3 Teams
- Paper Rex
- XERXIA
- BOOM Esports
South Korea – 1 Team
- DRX
Japan – 1 Team
- ZETA DIVISION
East Asia – 1 Team
- Edward Gaming
Prize pool and Distribution
The prize pool remains the same as last time, although, with minor differences in the distribution of the prize money among the winning teams. In VCT Champions 2022: Istanbul, the prize pool is divided as follows:
1st Place Winner: $300,000
2nd Place Winner: $150,000
3rd Place Winner: $110,000
Similar to the previous year’s Champions event, this time around too, the 16 teams that qualified will receive 50% of net proceeds from the Champions 2022 Skin Collection, which will be distributed among them equally.