As the inaugural season of the Valorant Champions Tour comes to a close, Riot has detailed changes to the format for the upcoming 2022 year.

Tournament Structure

The schedule will be condensed down to two Masters events (from three) and run from February through July, with Masters 1 and Masters 2 being held as international LAN events in April and July respectively. Champions will be held in September.

Challengers will adopt a new format entirely, with a single open qualifier being held for each split. The qualified teams will then compete in multiple weeks of league-style play, culminating in a tournament to decide the winner.

Country-based Leagues

Riot will begin the rollout of national leagues with the intent to foster local talent, as first alluded to in an earlier report. Europe will be the first region to feature these leagues, with more regions expected to join in time.

Third-party events in offseason

The condensed VCT format will allow for third-party events in the offseason in the same vein as the Ignition Series events. This period will run from October through the end of the year.

Game Changers

Game changers will now include a Champions analogue and culminate in an international LAN event in December, featuring the best teams from each region.