This year’s VALORANT Champions is almost upon us. The event will take place from August 6 until the 26th. The top 16 Valorant teams in the world will gather once more to fight for the title of Valorant Champion, this time it’s in the city of Los Angeles.
Read More: Valorant Sunset Map Quick Guide and Preview
VALORANT Champions Tournament Format
The teams will first undergo a double-elimination (GSL) format for the group stage. All group stage matches are best of three, only two teams per group will move on to the playoffs, the rest will go home.
The playoffs will be a standard double-elimination bracket. All matches will still be best of three except for the Lower Bracket Final and the Grand Final, both matches will be an exciting best of five.
The group stage teams were already drawn. Let’s take a look at each group and see which teams have the better chance in securing a playoffs spot.
Group A
- Paper Rex
- KRÜ Esports
- EDward Gaming
- Giants
Paper Rex is the favorite in this group, although we have the rising team EDward Gaming. I’m expecting these teams to qualify for the playoffs but I wouldn’t be too surprised if KRÜ take down one of them. These LATAM teams have a tendency to do some magic and exceed all expectations. Giants have shown some flashes of brilliance in the LOCK//IN São Paulo, they were able to take one map against NRG but they got stomped the rest of the series.
Group B
- Evil Geniuses
- FunPlus Phoenix
- FUT Esports
- T1
Based on recent performance, EG will probably come out on top of this group. They were able to go toe to toe with the top teams in Masters Tokyo and even made it to the Grand Finals. The 2nd slot is up for grabs. Everyone is leaning towards either T1 or FUT Esports to qualify based on experience. FunPlus Phoenix is not the same team as last year, they are now in a different region and completely different players. Only time will tell how the new roster will perform against formidable international competition.
Group C
- Fnatic
- ZETA DIVISION
- NRG
- Bilibili Gaming
This group is stacked. Obviously, the favorite is the reigning Masters Tokyo Champions Fnatic. They are expected to dominate this group even though their competition is quite formidable. NRG is expected to be the 2nd team to qualify but ZETA can not be underestimated. The best Japanese team might do some magic and take down NRG or even Fnatic. Bilibili Gaming is quite new to the international scene. They are the ultimate underdog in this tournament.
Group D
- Team Liquid
- Natus Vincere
- DRX
- LOUD
Another heavily stacked group. We have the best EMEA 1st place Team Liquid, the Pacific 2nd place team DRX and the Americas 1st place winner and defending Champion LOUD. NAVI is no slouch but they are dwarfed by the other team. There is really which two teams will survive this group. Either team has the capability to beat one another.
Overall, this is guaranteed to be an exciting and entertaining event. When the best players in Valorant come together, expect to see some amazing one-taps, ice-cold clutches and a lot of hype plays.
That is all for this Valorant Champions 2023 preview. Did we omit anything? Is there any other eSports content you’d like to see from us? Be sure to chime in and let us know.
Read More: The International 2023: Schedule and Format Announcement
Stay tuned to Last Word on Gaming for all the latest gaming news and reviews You can always count on LWOG to be on top of the major news in the gaming world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the world of video games.
