UPDATE: This article has been updated and republished with the announcement of the event's prize pool.

Riot have revealed details about VALORANT First Strike: Europe. The format loosely follows that of other regions, with a series of open qualifiers leading to a main event, which well be held from December 3-6.

The tournament will feature a $100,000 USD (~€85,000) prize pool split between the top eight teams. The first place team will win $35,000 USD, or about $7,000 per player, while the second place team will win $20,000 USD. Teams will win progressively less money for placing lower to the seventh and eighth place finishers, who will win $4,000 USD each.

Qualifiers

Four qualifiers will be held, two per week, from November 9-22. The top 16 teams from each qualifier within the same week will advance to a play-in stage, where the top 8 teams will advance to a final playoff stage.

The top four teams from each week's playoff stage will advance to the main event.

Infographic detailing the qualifier format; full resolution image

Additionally, the qualifiers will feature the game's original four maps. The game's most recently added map, Icebox, won't enter the map pool until the main event in December.

Main Event

The main event will be held on December 3-6 and feature a standard 8 team, single-elimination bracket. Quarterfinals and semifinals will be Bo3, while the grand final will be Bo5.

Notably, this is the only major European thus far outside of the Vitality European Open that has been a qualification-only event, and will allow up-and-coming teams to challenge Europe's old guard directly.