The competitive ecosystem of ACE VALORANT Challengers NA will evolve in 2025 with new formats, an updated points system, and more opportunities for emerging talent. This season will be filled with excitement, culminating with VALORANT Champions Tour Ascension.
TOURNAMENT ORGANIZER UPDATE
We are thrilled to announce that Liga ACE Esports will take the reins as the new tournament operator for ACE VALORANT Challengers NA starting in 2025. Liga ACE has been a steady partner, successfully running Challengers in Latin America for the past 2 years
“We are deeply grateful to Riot Games for trusting us with this exciting opportunity to contribute to the growth of the North American VALORANT scene. Our mission is to deliver a top-tier competitive experience while fostering the development of emerging talent. We can’t wait to embark on this journey with the players, teams, and fans who make this community so special.” - Liga ACE Esports
In 2025, ACE VALORANT Challengers NA will change its official communication channels, creating a new chapter for the league. This transition aims to deliver a connected and dynamic experience for the community, featuring exclusive content and coverage.
We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to Knights Arena for their exceptional contributions and the memorable moments they brought to the VALORANT community in the previous seasons. Their effort and dedication was crucial in building the solid foundation upon which we will continue to grow.
Ready yourself to explore these new platforms and enjoy unique content in the exciting 2025 season!
The new social media channels to follow the competition will be:
X/Twitter: @acenavalorant
Instagram: @acenavalorant
COMPETITIVE STRUCTURE AND SCHEDULE
In 2025, ACE VALORANT Challengers NA will come with exciting changes; notably an increase in the number of teams participating from 12 to 16 and the introduction of three stages throughout the competitive year.
Each stage will include a Group Stage and conclude with Playoffs, where teams can earn circuit points toward their spot in Ascension. Additionally, before each stage, there will be opportunities for teams to rise into Challengers via Premier competition and Open Qualifiers, allowing emerging teams multiple chances to join the league.
Dates:
Open Qualifiers registration: Early January
Open Qualifier: January
Closed Qualifier: January
Stage 1: January - March
Promotion/Relegation: March
Stage 2: April - May
Promotion/Relegation: May
Stage 3: July - September
Promotion/Relegation: September
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
The ACE VALORANT Challengers NA 2025 will feature 16 teams, selected as follows:
INVITED TEAMS
8 teams will be directly invited based on their participation in VALORANT Challengers NA Stage 2 & 3 of 2024:
TSM
MxS
YFP Gaming
QoR
SaD Esports
Turtle Troop
Trust in Plug
Ambrossia
2 teams were invited based on the results of Stage 3 in 2024.
RANKERS
Nightblood Gaming
These teams will be invited but it’s their decision to accept or deny the invitation.
1 team coming from VCT Americas teams’ academy.
Sentinels Academy
OPEN SLOTS - PREMIER & QUALIFIERS
2 teams will be selected from the Invite layer of Premier Episode 9 Act 3.
3 teams to be defined through Open and Closed Qualifiers,
64 teams Open Qualifier.
Closed Qualifier: An 8 team double elimination bracket with the best 4 teams of the Open Qualifier and 4 invited teams, they will compete for three spots in the ACE VALORANT Challengers NA 2025.
The invited teams will be the 2 NA Game Changers teams that participated in Game Changers Championship 2024 and 2 invited teams from the Stage 3 2024 VALORANT Challengers NA. The invited teams for the Closed Qualifier are:From Stage 3 2024 VALORANT Challengers NA: Blue Otter and Winthrop University
From Game Changers Championship 2024: FlyQuest Red and Shopify Rebellion
These teams will be invited but it’s their decision to accept or deny the invitation.
If there are not enough invited teams (8), the remaining spots can be filled out through Open Qualifiers/Closed Qualifiers and Premier Mode.
For teams that would like to get in contact with us, please join the ACE VALORANT Challengers NA Discord Server.
ACADEMY TEAMS
The integration of SEN Academy as the first academy team into ACE VALORANT Challengers NA 2025 marks a significant step forward in nurturing emerging talent and preparing future stars for VCT Americas.
Academy teams will participate throughout the entire competitive year of ACE VALORANT Challengers NA 2025, ensuring consistent development opportunities. Academy teams will not be able to relegate during their first year, and these teams will not be eligible to compete in the VCT Ascension tournament.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
In 2025, the competition will consist of 3 Stages with a new exciting format, each one will have a Swiss Group Stage and Playoffs with the top 8 teams. A new points system for the teams will be implemented that will determine one spot to qualify for VCT Ascension.
Swiss Group Stage:
16 Teams playing in a Swiss format.
All games are played as Best of 3 (Bo3).
Teams must secure 4 wins to advance to the Playoffs.
Teams with 4 losses will be eliminated.
Playoffs:
The top 8 teams will compete in a double-elimination bracket Bo3.
The Lower Final and Grand Final will be played in a Best of 5 (Bo5) format.
Matchups will be determined based on the Swiss Stage standings.
PROMOTION AND RELEGATION SYSTEM
Promotion/Relegation after Stage 1:
The Top 3 teams of Premier Episode 10 Act 1 and the bottom 3 teams of Challengers Swiss (0-4 & 1-4) will take part in this cycle.
The bottom 3 teams of Challengers will play a single round robin relegation cycle, the worst performing team will be automatically relegated. The best Premier team in Episode 10 Act 1 will be promoted directly to Challengers Stage 2.
The 2 remaining Challenger teams will face off directly versus the 2nd and 3rd Premier teams in a Bo5 for a spot in Challengers Stage 2.
Promotion/Relegation after Stage 2:
The same process will happen but now with teams from Premier Episode 10 Act 2.
Promotion/Relegation after Stage 3:
The Top 2 teams of each Premier Episode 10 Act 3 and Premier Episode 11 Act 1, and the bottom 4 teams of Challengers Swiss Stage (0-4, 1-4 & 2-4) will take part in this cycle.
The bottom 4 teams of Challengers will play a single round robin relegation cycle, the worst 2 performing teams will be automatically relegated. The best Premier team in Episode 10 Act 3 and the best Premier team in Episode 11 Act 1 will be promoted directly to Challengers 2026.
The 2 remaining Challenger teams will face off directly versus the 2nd teams of Premier Episode 10 Act 3 and Episode 11 Act 1 in a Bo5 for a spot in Challengers 2026.
QUALIFICATION FOR VCT ASCENSION 2025
We have considered two different criteria to qualify for VCT Ascension 2025, and it will be defined as follows:
First Seed: Stage 3 Champion – The winning team of the final stage will advance directly to Ascension.
Second Seed: Circuit Points – The team with the most points accumulated throughout the year will secure this spot.
BROADCAST AND COVERAGE
During the regular season of ACE VALORANT Challengers NA, you can enjoy all matches on the league's official channels and authorized co-streams. Additionally, stay updated with real-time coverage on ACE VALORANT Challengers NA social media channels on X and Instagram.
The competition will be streamed in our traditional channels:
Twitch: valorant_northamerica
YouTube: VALORANTChallengersAmericas
WATCH PARTIES AND CO-STREAMING
The form to become an official co-streamer for the upcoming competitive stage is now live! Don’t miss the chance to share the excitement of the ACE VALORANT Challengers NA with your audience.
Before each stage begins, we’ll release a new form to give you the chance to become an official co-streamer and host watch parties for your audience.
Get ready for an exhilarating year and follow the evolution of ACE VALORANT Challengers NA 2025 as the best teams compete for a spot in VCT Ascension and the glory of the VALORANT competitive scene! Stay tuned to our social media so you don’t miss any of the action.
FOLLOW US
For ACE VALORANT Challengers NA:
X/Twitter: ACENAValorant
Instagram: ACENAValorant
For VALORANT Esports NA:
X/Twitter: valesportsna
Instagram - valesportsna
Liga ACE Esports:
X/Twitter: LigaAceEsports
Instagram - LigaAceEsports
For Broadcast:
Twitch: valorant_northamerica
YouTube: VALORANTChallengersAmericas
