The first year of the franchise-like VALORANT circuit will begin in February 2023 with an international kick-off tournament, developer and tournament organizer Riot Games confirmed today.
The event will feature all 30 teams from the international leagues and is set to be held in São Paulo, Brazil. The kick-off tournament will replace the first split of the year, which will be held from 2024 onwards.
Partnered teams will face off against each other to find out who won the offseason and the transfer period following the conclusion of VALORANT Champions 2022, which is set to end on Sept. 18.
The three-week-long kick-off tournament will crown a victor in early March with an extra surprise for the team that secures first place. The winner will earn an extra slot for their respective international league at Masters later in the year. For example, in the event a team from North America wins the tournament, they will earn their international league, which features teams from Brazil, Latin America, and North America, an extra spot at Masters.
Brazil has not yet hosted an international tournament in VALORANT, with the majority of events being held in European countries to ensure all teams could easily and safely travel without COVID-19 restrictions.
Brazil has a few of the best VALORANT teams, however, with OpTic rivals LOUD in the top three at VALORANT Champions 2022. It is unclear which Brazilian teams will enter a partnership with Riot next year, however.
The kick-off tournament will coincide with the first split of Challengers, which will begin in January next year and conclude in March.
