The second wave of Valorant Challenger Leagues has arrived, as EMEA gets its VCLs underway. At the time of publishing, only Spain and East have begun their regular seasons.
EMEA encapsulates the most VCLs after Pacific. The region has maintained every one of its 2022 VRL regions, splitting the Spain league — which previously was the only VRL for Portugal and Italy — in order to create an Italian and Portuguese VCL, increasing the total number to nine leagues.
Of the nine leagues, MENA is the only one with information publicly unavailable at the time of publishing.
VCL Northern Europe: Polaris
Northern Europe is, despite having the least organizations (only two out of eight teams are signed to an organization), one of the leagues with the highest skill ceiling. Polaris is only carrying over three teams from its 2022 season:
who cars?
who cars?
Europe
Rank #179
fexayy
mishu
Julius Thorslund Kyhl
Klusia
Jonas Colkær Thomsen
Nille
Nichlas Busk
sunshine
Benjamin Hornshøj Nielsen
,
Human Tripwires
Human Tripwires
Inactive
Dev0
Corey Brame
MaximN
Maxim Nonglaire
ReQz
Hieu Moss
chanformer
Joshua Chan
Bully
Francisco Betancourt
, and
HSDIRR
HSDIRR
Inactive
Ale
Alend Khalaf
vicious
Benjamin Guilotte
lyNxi
Felix Björklund
Meddo
Johan Renbjörk Lundborg
freddan
(previously
KOVA
KOVA
Inactive
Supmah
Hampus Svensson
JESMUND
Jesse Terävä
Ale
Alend Khalaf
vicious
Benjamin Guilotte
shéd
Jani Marjanen
).
FOKUS
FOKUS
Europe
Rank #46
Lime
Jacob Foster
bucher
Maximilian Bucher
SEIDER
Mathias Seider
al0rante
Felix Brandl
YaBoiLewis
Lewis Hughes
— after their offseason changes that added
KPZET
and
Lime
from Denmark and the UK, respectively — are now operating in Northern Europe instead of DACH and have also been invited.
Finally, Promod (the Polaris organizers) have also extended invitations to
bonk
bonk
Inactive
juseu
Elric Belland-Aysan
— whose newest roster includes players from several VRLs, among which are ex-FPX stand-in
SEIDER
and former Guild member
bonkar
— and
Apeks
Apeks
Europe
Rank #11
hype
Tautvydas Paldavicius
kaajak
Kajetan Haremski
MOLSI
Michał Łącki
soulcas
Dom Sulcas
AvovA
Auni Chahade
, which have united former FNATIC players
MAGNUM
,
Mistic
and
Enzo
with former FPX player
ShadoW
.
The final two slots were earned by
VAMONOS
VAMONOS
Europe
Rank #102
— a roster comprising of former Alliance players
Nille
and
Zik
, as well as former who cars? player
sunshine
— and
Les Petits Bouffons
Les Petits Bouffons
Inactive
vong
Vong Nguyen
Luzuh
Joseph Loose
KRAY
Calum Knight
Russ
Russel Mendes
L1NK
Travis Mendoza
, a roster hosting a multitude of British talent in
L1NK
,
Luzuh
(ex-MOUZ and Rix.GG),
Russ
(ex-Guild) and
KRAY
(ex-TENSTAR).
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1603321676111953923/MtwIHvD5_normal.jpg)
🔵@ApeksValorant
🔵@FOKUSValorant
🔵@BonkValorant
🔵@WhoCars_Val
🔵@HSDIRRval
🔵@HumanTripWires
🔵VAMONOS
🔵@LePetitBouffons
VALORANT Challengers Northern Europe: Polaris returns next Monday at 6pm CET.
VCL Spain: Rising
Spain's VCL has suffered little changes when compared to the 2022 VRL. It's one of just four 10-team leagues, keeping most of its 2022 talent. Notably,
Giants Gaming
Giants Gaming
Inactive
Redgar
Igor Vlasov
Fit1nho
Adolfo Gallego
nukkye
Žygimantas Chmieliauskas
hoody
Aaro Peltokangas
Cloud
Kirill Nehozhin
,
KOI
KOI
Europe
Rank #89
kamo
Kamil Frąckowiak
ShadoW
Tobias Flodström
grubinho
Grzegorz Ryczko
starxo
Patryk Kopczynski
sheydos
Bogdan Naumov
, and
Team Heretics
Team Heretics
Europe
Rank #1
MiniBoo
Dominykas Lukaševičius
Wo0t
Mert Alkan
RieNs
Enes Ecirli
benjyfishy
Benjamin David Fish
Boo
Ričardas Lukaševičius
have moved up in the competitive ecosystem and are now partnered organizations in the VCT, leaving their slots vacant for the 2023 VCL.
Arctic
Arctic
Inactive
have also apparently exited the scene, remaining teamless after dropping their 2022 roster.
Two of those four slots have been filled by
AYM Esports
AYM Esports
Inactive
Pando
Michel
Michel del Castillo
DRK
Gabriel Lorenzo
and
Falcons
Falcons
Inactive
synsi
Jere Virtanen
eXerZ
Miguel Marín
KILLDREAM
João Ferreira
Guardy
Antonio Guardiola
circu
Fernando Puerta Jimenez
. Both organizations are owned and backed by Spanish football players — Aymeric Laporte and César Azpilicueta, respectively. The former have hired Circuito Tormenta players, the second tier of Valorant in Spain, while the latter have gone bigger with names such as
eXerZ
,
KILLDREAM
and
synsi
. The remaining two slots have been filled by smaller Spanish organizations
Zeta Gaming
Zeta Gaming
Inactive
Saiz
Daniel Ruiz
RAYZZ
Alejandro Montaner Roig
circu
Fernando Puerta Jimenez
Chechuu
Jesús Díaz
ease
Manuel López
and
Ramboot Club
Ramboot Club
Europe
Rank #43
saiko
Kacper Kucharski
iDex
Sammy Van de Weghe
jannyXD
João Daniel
l0udly
Marius Žilinskas
Katu
Kacper Twórz
Kamisseq
Kamil Lepper
.
The final, tenth slot, belongs to
jonba
's
KPI Gaming
KPI Gaming
Europe
Rank #15
zeddy
Nikolai Lapko
B1SK
Vitaliy Emelyanov
Insider
Artem Puzanov
Sayonara
Ștefan Mîtcu
Kiles
Vlad Shvets
. The league has managed to retain most of its talent, barring some players leaving for the VCT or other VCLs. At the same time, notable imports include
H1ber
(
Team Queso
Team Queso
Inactive
mezoky
Boom
Daniel Jiménez
),
saiko
(
Movistar Riders
Movistar Riders
Inactive
Nixerino
Nicolás Canellas Colocho
YuNo
Eloy García Burgueño
Vorwenn
Tomas Baldrich
Blastinho
Miquel llombart
Pando
), and
shéd
(
Ramboot Club
Ramboot Club
Europe
Rank #43
saiko
Kacper Kucharski
iDex
Sammy Van de Weghe
jannyXD
João Daniel
l0udly
Marius Žilinskas
Katu
Kacper Twórz
Kamisseq
Kamil Lepper
).
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1603700246613295104/lYaVuQ6S_normal.jpg)
¿Con quién vais vosotros?
📆Domingo 8 de enero
⏰16:30
📺Twitch.tv/lvpes2
VCL France: Revolution
VCL France, unlike Spain, is a 10-team VCL that is pulling most of its talent from the region it encapsulates.
Team Vitality
Team Vitality
Europe
Rank #24
trexx
Nikita Cherednichenko
Kicks
Kimmie Laasner
runneR
Emil Trajkovski
ceNder
Jokūbas Labutis
Sayf
Saif Jibraeel
and
Karmine Corp
Karmine Corp
Europe
Rank #18
MAGNUM
Martin Penkov
tomaszy
Tomás Machado
N4RRATE
Marshall Massey
marteen
Martin Pátek
sh1n
Ryad Ensaad
have left for the VCT, and several names have dropped out of the running altogether:
OG
OG
Inactive
KONEQT
Cista Adel
uNKOE
Benjamin Chevasson
OniBy
Theo Tarlier
fxy0
Joey Schlosser
LaAw
Mathieu Plantin
,
Team BDS
Team BDS
Inactive
bramz
Bayram Ben Redjeb
,
Valar Morghulis
Valar Morghulis
Inactive
Killu
Vieillard Giovanni
NRK
Pedretti Charles
uNKOE
Benjamin Chevasson
LeeN
Adam Caillol
LaAw
Mathieu Plantin
, and
MAD Lions
MAD Lions
Inactive
KRAY
Calum Knight
are no longer in the French scene.
These gaps have been filled by organizations exclusively from the region:
HEET
HEET
Inactive
Kinguyen
Nguyen Thach
memset
Laurent Werly
b2kk
Sofian Delimi
Monstrum
Jake Byrne
waddle
Wadir Taraki
,
3DMAX
3DMAX
Inactive
BaWaN
Loic Martello
CyvOph
Clement Millard
Davidp
David Prins
,
Zerance
Zerance
Europe
Rank #55
Babax
Baptiste Bertrand
Jady
Yaroslav Nikolaev
UNFAKE
Bartosz Bernacki
lux9
Lucas Danna
,
VALIANT
VALIANT
Europe
Rank #34
d3ffo
Nikita Sudakov
Ambi
Štěpán Beránek
NeskaaS
Sohan Bessassa
Sacake
Ladislav Sachr
Jesse
Adam Čtvrtníček
,
Joblife
Joblife
Europe
Rank #38
MAGiK
Calvin Spaaij
jas
Jasiek Nieliwodzki
RobbieBk
Robbie Boerkamp
kamyk
Maks Rychlewski
mikee
Michael Lim
and
SBG
SBG
Inactive
APO
Tom Bonnion
stand-in
TakaS
Jonathan Paupard
logaN
Logan Corti
Wailers
Wailers Locart
beyAz
Beyazit Körpe
nataNk
Nathan Bocqueho
. New and old rosters have mostly pulled from the region's pre-existing talent pools, hosting just eight imports, among them former OGLU player
hype
.
France has been a notable source of talent for the EMEA region, and several of those players are staying in their country to compete. The VCL France will be the stage for names such as HyP , AKUMAAAAA , TakaS , logaN , and rodeN .
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1470423917219258369/sI8bVvh7_normal.jpg)
VCL DACH: Evolution
Returning to eight-team leagues, DACH stands out as one of the most downgraded regions. Several big names —
Kryptix
,
Luzuh
,
ozzy
,
elllement
,
DeepMans
,
RECIDENT
and more — have flocked away from DACH in 2023 after spending the second split of 2022 and the OFF//SEASON there.
DSYRE
DSYRE
Europe
Rank #3
caydeN
Yari Olmi
Tag
Alessandro Voci
wackie
Rikardo Birjukov
waddle
Wadir Taraki
Filu
Dawid Czarnecki
and
Wave Esports
Wave Esports
Inactive
SimonD4rk
Alexandr Skovbel
Click
Haydem Ali
Saiz
Daniel Ruiz
are no longer a part of the league, the latter having missed registrations deadline, leaving their roster without an organization for the league and competing under “TBD”.
Unicorns of Love
Unicorns of Love
Inactive
bleeshh
Christopher Bledowski
have stepped into DSYRE's slot, after spending most of 2022 competing in DACH's Project V VRC. They joined the OFF//SEASON DACH: Evolution - Unity competition playoffs, placing third after losses to
Ovation eSports
Ovation eSports
Europe
Rank #188
B3ASTM0D3
Ivan Patrik Ledić
Luzuh
Joseph Loose
canefis
James Barry
Louitan
Louis Beresford
eleo
Leonard Kulish
and DSYRE. Most organizations have largely kept their rosters and/or cores, while
MOUZ
MOUZ
Europe
Rank #8
xuss
Tselmeg Tsolmon
Obnoks
Nico Garczarczyk
iluri
Ilari Puranen
Fizzy
David Figueiredo
starki
Krzysztof Lewandrowski
and
ALTERNATE aTTaX
ALTERNATE aTTaX
Europe
Rank #73
Jini
Jan Miller
Sevkaan
Sevkan Kunduru
KovaQ
Blendi Kovaci
Magnus
Magnus Keller
STAVINCI
Dimitrios Smoilis
are notable exceptions.
MOUZ have only kept al0rante from their offseason roster, filling the gaps left by former members with the likes of Obnoks , murii , and Filu . ALTERNATE aTTaX have brought on former Giants player Ambi and bucher , formerly of FOKUS.
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1470427018353430530/YiPQqsq9_normal.jpg)
VCL Turkey: Birlik
Turkey is another 10-man VCL in this list. The country is known as a powerhouse of EMEA talent and has benefitted greatly from Riot's new system, with many big names returning to compete in Turkey. The league has just two imports across 54 players. The VCL will also include three new organizations, one to fill
FUT Esports
FUT Esports
Europe
Rank #4
MrFaliN
Furkan Yeğen
yetujey
Eray Budak
AtaKaptan
Ata Tan
cNed
Mehmet Yağız İpek
qRaxs
Doğukan Balaban
's slot as they head for the VCT, and two more to become a 10-team league:
Parla Esports
Parla Esports
Inactive
Jlerst
Naci Enes Yıldırım
sociablEE
Volkan Yonal
lauress
Toprak Kaynak
Ruxic
Uğur Güç
jeyj7y
Soner Eren Kent
,
S2G Esports
S2G Esports
Europe
Rank #164
lauress
Toprak Kaynak
Patrui
Göktuğ Uyan
AsLanM4shadoW
Ali Osman Balta
jeyj7y
Soner Eren Kent
russ
Batuhan Malgaç
, and
Digital Athletics
Digital Athletics
Europe
Rank #198
DeepMans
Yiğithan Kesici
KILICARSLAN
Kılıçarslan Atila
mini
Muhammed Salman
are now VCL teams.
The two imports are a part of
İstanbul Wildcats
İstanbul Wildcats
Europe
Rank #119
baha
Baha Gözmen
dRKY
Onur Bora Genç
sh1va
Arda Özkaya
MERZ
Emre Aktaş
deminatiX
Akın Tak
, who have kept
braveaf
from last year's roster and have added
7ssk7
.
AslaN
and
DubzWoW
, from Germany and Australia, both carry dual citizenship and are Turkish.
AslaN is part of S2G, a roster which also includes
pAura
,
russ
and former
Papara SuperMassive
Papara SuperMassive
Europe
Rank #27
sterben
Emre Demirci
skylen
Asil Yalçın
SouhcNi
Ibrahim Sağır
Izzy
Baran Yılmaz
coach
9999
, being one of the most competitive in the region. Other big names —
sociablEE
,
Izzy
,
CyderX
,
lurzy0y0
,
glovee
,
XiSTOU
, and DeepMans — have remained in the region despite the big shuffle.
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1576868140306382849/105oW7pU_normal.jpg)
Sence en etkili kadroya sahip takım hangisi?
VCL East: Surge
Eastern Europe's VCL is the final 10-man league in this list, also being one of the most competitive leagues in EMEA in players and size. Eastern Europe is one of the largest regions in EMEA Valorant, going so far as to encapsulate Ukraine, Greece and even Israel.
Several rosters from 2022's VRL have kept their core:
Anorthosis Famagusta Esports
Anorthosis Famagusta Esports
Inactive
,
Enterprise Esports
Enterprise Esports
Inactive
LUKYYY
Cantzer
Václav Jan Stezka
SH0UTyy
Michal Glacner
Hasaa
Radim Haša
Enrik
Michal Vejvoda
patagod
Patrik Bojkovský
,
Zero Tenacity
Zero Tenacity
Europe
Rank #30
Krizz
Krzysztof Łukaszkiewicz
snikk
Sebastian Kamiński
kenobi
Szymon Łabędzki
ALMO
Albert Moscicki
Freyy
Krystian Konopka
,
Diamant Esports
Diamant Esports
Europe
Rank #10
xiTsha
Arkadiusz Nowak
westside
Thander
Andrej Živanović
Grmekista
Tilen Grmek
Prti
Ivan Erak
Pa1ze
hold at least three players from last year's roster.
NOM Esports
NOM Esports
Europe
Rank #77
nero
Eran Yosef
Zneva
litshii
Armin Pervan
Bard0lf
Emir Çinkılıç
Chadi
Farsang Balázs
have promoted their academy roster, while the organization's former roster core will keep playing in the VCL under
Cyber Wolves Esports
Cyber Wolves Esports
Inactive
ALMO
Albert Moscicki
Freyy
Krystian Konopka
Hitch
Martin Srp
pyrolll
Artur Minin
tatzuki
Jovan Milovanovic
.
Rapid Ninjas
Rapid Ninjas
Inactive
ikke
Martin Erdei
Barcode
Kevin Bana
oli
Olivér Paksi
arbie
Kornel Holecz
, a former VRC East: United team, has joined the VCL with the same roster.
Finally, there are two unexpected names in the East.
B8 Esports
B8 Esports
Europe
Rank #182
WanZeru
arch
Vladyslav Svistov
Nunmeister
RARE
Arkadii Krokhmal
Kajuks
Kajus Skurvydas
, a Ukrainian organization, has joined the league with a roster spearheaded by
arch
and
Dreamas
.
Acend
Acend
Europe
Rank #12
ALIVE
Gilad Hakim
musashi
Alessio Xhaferi
pyrolll
Artur Minin
cullumx
Nikolaj Cullum Andersen
chiwa
Egor Stepanyuk
, Valorant's first world champions, have returned to competition in VCL East with
MONSTEERR
,
musashi
, and
baddyG
.
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1618001236237729792/GdDiXzMC_normal.jpg)
@anoesports
@AcendClub
@Z10esports
@NOM_Esports
@cyberwolves_si
@Rapid_Ninjas
@EsportsDiamant
@enterprise_esp
@AnonymoEsports
@B8esportsGG
VCL Italy: Rinascimento
VCL Italy: Rinascimento is one of two new leagues, going from a VRC last year to becoming an eight-team VCL this year. DSYRE are a part of this league after a 2022 stint in DACH, returning home with the former
DSYRE Elevate
DSYRE Elevate
Europe
Rank #42
sassolino
ViperZ
FinganJode
Filippo Bonanni
loll9
maxeeh
roster.
Several organizations from Agents Series, last year's VRC in Italy, have transitioned to the VCL:
QLASH
QLASH
Europe
Rank #199
Sab1nho
mass3R
Umberto Artuso
LOMBA
EduCoz
,
Macko Esports
Macko Esports
Inactive
,
Outplayed
Outplayed
Europe
Rank #91
sword
Enrico Bacchin
pityth
Morphiw0w
Enrico Coppini
Z3RO
Giordano Macioce
Nade
Nazareno Michele Frasca
, and
Axolotl
Axolotl
Europe
Rank #162
xazyy
Alejandro Giudice
RickyVaila
Morphiius
Ezio Frandina
xad
Kacper Brzuchnalski
Braso
Mickebwoy
Mikołaj Chojnacki
are all returning to competition.
WLGaming Esports
WLGaming Esports
Europe
Rank #144
Nille
Nichlas Busk
and
HMBLE
HMBLE
Inactive
KnightVoice
Hubert Lorenc
looM
Luca Landolfo
are both returning to Valorant after a year away.
The final name comes from Azerbaijan. After ditching their CIS roster in late 2021,
GMT Esports
GMT Esports
Inactive
N A I S
Alessandro Montanari
AFoxx
Fábio Veigas
have recently returned to competition and now field
bipo
,
HearthBeat
, and
AFoxx
in a mostly-Italian roster that qualified to VCL Italy via the first LCQ.
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1604909137082699777/AU-Hy2E5_normal.jpg)
Preparatevi alla sfida. Lo spettacolo sta per cominciare🔥🔥
#VALORANT #VALrinascimento #Sognatori @itVALORANT
VCL Portugal: Tempest
Portugal is, akin to Italy, the second new VCL. Last year's Campeonato de Elite, the country's VRC, has become VCL Portugal: Tempest. Four former DSYRE players, who won DACH: Evolution - Unity, have joined the Portuguese competition under the
GTZ Esports
GTZ Esports
Europe
Rank #178
Cal
Callum Burgoyne
H4te
Rodrigo Ribeiro
Kayn
Tiago Teixeira Dos Santos
Hiiro
Eric Brassac
Caim
Hugo Fonseca
name. Three of
Arroz
Arroz
Inactive
Zino
Paulo Figueiredo
Bati
Miguel Batista
DaviH
David Cruz
tomaszy
Tomás Machado
VTaguT
Rui Ribeiro
' players, a team which swept the Portuguese scene in 2022, are now a part of
SAW
SAW
Europe
Rank #13
Fragger
Henrique Correia
brk
Bruno Ferreira
GrTw
Tiago Costa
Addicted
Eduardo Torres
Cunha20
David Cunha
, an organization who is now returning to the game after a year away.
The league is keeping several other names from their 2022 VRC, among which are
Panthers Esports
Panthers Esports
Inactive
tripsy
Akira
Rui Barbosa
k4nzo
MonOkson
Eugene Nosko
Sandro
,
Impulse GW
Impulse GW
Europe
Rank #41
CORONEL
Ricardo Martins
Leare
Fletcher Brigden-Knight
Patix
Patrik Rozman
pdr
Pedro Sousa
tripsy
,
EGN Esports
EGN Esports
Europe
Rank #49
are all making a comeback.
FTW Esports
FTW Esports
Inactive
sww
Diogo Lopes
furyan
Afonso de Sousa
aztex
Miguel Tavares
Ptf0x
João Coelho
have acquired
Heracles Gaming
Heracles Gaming
Inactive
LionClaw
Tiago Moreira
Dizayn
Ozan Yagiz
's slot. Fourteen Esports, a Portuguese organization, have linked up with former Masters attendees
Team Vikings
Team Vikings
Inactive
Veroneze
Vinícius Ribeiro
Ds
Daniel Silva
swag
João Neto
pollo
Julio Silva
to take
Old Times
Old Times
Inactive
Ds
Daniel Silva
KenzmPs
Simão Azevedo
stepa
Symon Stepanov
' slot under a new joint name:
VIKINGS Fourteen
VIKINGS Fourteen
Inactive
twokey
brk
Bruno Ferreira
GrTw
Tiago Costa
VTaguT
Rui Ribeiro
KenzmPs
Simão Azevedo
Ds
Daniel Silva
.
The final slot was acquired by
EX0TIK GAMING
EX0TIK GAMING
Europe
Rank #103
Aqua
Adriá Borgmann
mochi
Sergio Cano
999kvmil
Kamil Szymanek
Dext
Norbert Paulovčák
, a former Spanish Circuito Tormenta team. The slot was owned by
bessa mix
bessa mix
Inactive
, a mix team which qualified to the league but opted to sell the slot instead of participating, as some of its players were then picked up by other VCL teams.
![](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1621178949421129728/R1QAcsTq_normal.jpg)
@EGNesports
@EX0TIKGAMING
@ftwesports
@TeamVikings x @fourteenesports
@GTZEsports
@ImpulseGW
@PantherseSportt
@sawggofficial
Estreia a 14 de janeiro.
EMEA
Trailing the Pacific region in number of VCLs — EMEA has nine, whereas the Pacific has 10 — EMEA's tier 2 system is the second-largest in the current Valorant ecosystem. When compared to last year's EMEA VRLs, an extremely similar competitive system, the region has added two more by splitting Italy and Portugal into their own standalone leagues. Previously, they were both attached to and underrepresented at VRL Spain.
Besides the two new leagues, EMEA's VCLs are exactly the same as last year's VRLs, with several leagues mirroring last year's VRL or VRC prize pool.
In Split 2, the best teams of each VCL will be drafted into Challengers Ascension, the mid-summer competition that will close out the tier 2 scene. Ascension's winner will then access VCT EMEA for two years, receiving similar benefits to partnered teams and the chance to reach international events. Once those two years are up, the winner will return to their VCL.