With Stage 1 of VCT EMEA 2024 now well underway, we’ve got some updates about the wider VALORANT EMEA ecosystem to share with you – as we’re ready to share further details on the promotion and relegation system for competing in VALORANT Challengers EMEA.

Developmental VALORANT will be undergoing some major changes in EMEA this year. Following the rollout of VALORANT’s Premier system in 2023, our May promotion and relegation event will mark the first time that Premier teams will be offered the chance to qualify into VALORANT Challengers EMEA.

We’re now ready to reveal more details of the upcoming promotion/relegation tournament for VCT Challengers EMEA, including dates, format, and how to watch.

VCT Challengers EMEA Promotion & Relegation: Format and Participating Teams

Each EMEA promotion tournament will run from May 4 to May 7 and consist of:

• The top four Premier teams for their respective zone
  • Excluding IBIT, which will send the top four teams from Spain, Italy and Portugal
• Two relegated teams from the respective Challengers League
• Either the top four teams from the region’s VRC, or the winning team from the VRC*

*Note: regions with no VRC (e.g. Türkiye) will only have the top four Premier teams alongside the two relegated teams

Given that some of our VRCs have already confirmed their winners for the split, the decision to send either one or four teams to the promotion tournament will be made at the discretion of individual tournament operators. Each tournament will take place in two stages – a two-group, best-of-three single elimination bracket, and a GSL stage, which will result in two teams qualifying for promotion into their region’s Challengers League. 

When there are five teams in total (four from Premier and one from a VRC), Premier-qualified teams will compete in the best-of-three single elimination bracket, and the VRC representative will be automatically seeded into the GSL stage.

In the case where there are four teams from Premier and four from a VRC, these eight teams will compete in a two-group, best-of-three single elimination bracket, where teams will only compete against teams that have qualified from the same tournament as them.

In the GSL stage, the Premier and VRC representatives will play against the two relegated teams from their region’s Challengers League, who are automatically seeded into the first round of the GSL. The GSL will consist of two initial matches, which will seed teams into either a winners or a losers bracket. The winner of the winner’s bracket match will automatically be promoted into their respective Challengers league, while the loser will play against the winner of the first-round loser’s bracket match to decide which team takes the second promotion spot.

VCT Challengers EMEA: FAQ

What happens if a team qualifies for promotion through both VRC and Premier?

• They will be seeded into the bracket of whichever tournament they qualified in first. Their empty slot on the other side of the bracket will be filled by another team – in the case of there being no eligible teams to take their spot, a bye will be used.

Who will broadcast the final games?

• Broadcasts will be organized by the individual Tournament Operators of each Challengers league – so keep an eye out on their socials for more information about talent and broadcast times.