Riot and Mandatory.gg have announced a new French competitive circuit: the France Open Tour.

VALORANT France
@VALORANTfr
Pour réunir les meilleurs joueurs du Masters aux amateurs, faites place au VALORANT OPEN TOUR FRANCE ! 🏆

The tournament, organized in partnership with Webedia and ZQSD (parent company of Mandatory.gg), will aim to bring together the best French players and organizations in a new official circuit that will culminate in a LAN at the end of the year. Participation in the France Open Tour does not prevent play in the Valorant Champions Tour.

The competition is open to teams with more than three members of French, Belgian, Swiss residency. Players must also be over 16 years old and have a rank higher or equal to Platinum 1. Exceptions are made for clubs present in Division 1 and 2 of the LFL — the French league of League of Legends — which can participate in the competition with a roster that does not respect the geographical restrictions as well as for teams that have reached the Masters phase of VCT Europe.

This new circuit has four main stages. Two open Swiss qualifiers will take place in May and June, leading into a 32-team double-elimination bracket featuring a €10,000 prize pool. The bracket teams that make it farthest will win a spot in the final LAN. A last-chance qualifier will take place in October, with the same format as the first two qualifiers, but with only two spots awarded for the LAN event. Qualification does not prevent teams from participating in following rounds.

The circuit will end with a LAN featuring eight qualified teams competing in a single-elimination Bo5 bracket for their share of the €20,000 prize pool.