Riot Games has recently announced the exciting plans for the 2024 season of the highly-anticipated Valorant Champions Tour.
The new Valorant Champions Tour 2024 will see the addition of a fourth league, VCT China, the inclusion of two Masters tournaments in Madrid and Shanghai, and an increase in Tier 2 competition throughout the year.
Year-Round Challengers and Tier 2 Competition
In a blog post, Leo Faria, the Global Head of Valorant Esports said that three major changes were unveiled for the upcoming 2024 season. First, Challengers will now run year-round, with three splits of Tier 2 competition. The first two splits will take place within a similar timeframe as this year, but a third split will be introduced in the final three months of the year, acting as the beginning of the 2025 season.
Additionally, an affiliate system will be introduced to increase the “player flow” between the VCT, Challengers, and GC. The integration of Premier will also play a significant role in promoting teams to the Challengers Leagues, with more details expected to be revealed as the 2024 season approaches.
Inspired by LOCK//IN: Masters Madrid
The kick-off for the 2024 season will draw inspiration from LOCK//IN. Each International League will host a two-week tournament, resulting in the participation of eight teams internationally.
These teams will then compete in the first Masters event of the year, which will be hosted in Madrid.
Masters Madrid will be the smallest Masters tournament to date, hosting fewer teams than the inaugural Masters Reykjavik. It will also mark the first international VCT LAN event held in Europe since Turkey’s Champions in 2022.
Championship Points and VCT China
Both Masters events in 2024, along with the International Leagues, will award Championship Points. While the exact usage of these points is yet to be clarified, Riot has indicated that they will serve as a measure of each team’s performance and as a qualification mechanism for global events
This hints at a potential return to a system similar to the one used in 2021 and 2022.
The announcement also included the introduction of VCT China as the fourth International League, although details about this league are still limited.
Rumors about the inclusion of China in the VCT had been circulating for months, with discussions between Tencent and top Chinese esports players reportedly starting as early as February.
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