How to qualify for VCT Challengers by playing VALORANT Premier mode

Your journey starts here.

VALORANT Premier image with agent Clove.
Image via Riot Games

When VALORANT Episode Nine launches, the top Premier players and teams will have the opportunity to compete in the new Invite Division, which represents the first stepping stone to going pro and qualifying for regional VCT Challengers leagues.

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Since Premier’s inception, Riot Games has said its endgame goal for the seasonal, scheduled competitive mode is for it to serve as the primary path for players to reach VCT Challengers leagues. With the launch of Invite Division, and with a plethora of new changes to Premier that facilitate easier promotion, the path to pro in VALORANT is now open.

How to qualify for VCT Challengers through Premier

VCT ecosystem pyramid.
The full path-to-pro. Image via Riot Games

To qualify for promotion into a regional VCT Challengers league, a VALORANT Premier team needs to perform well in the Invite Division, or at the very least finish in the top two in the respective regional Contender Division. Playoff results will be the main factor in determining Invite Division standings, with Premier Score, number of weekly matches played, and weekly round differentials serving as tiebreakers.

To qualify for the Invite Division, teams will have to win the Contender Division playoffs. But to grow the Invite Division’s numbers early on, the top 32 Contender Division teams during Episode Eight, Act Three will also be promoted into Invite Division.

Contender and Invite Division requirements

Players must be declared “Contender Eligible” to compete in either Contender or Invite Division. To become Contender Eligible, players must either

  • Play a weekly match in Contender or Invite,
  • Play a playoff match in the Elite Five division, or
  • Play a competitive match ranked Immortal Three or higher.

Which VCT Challengers league do I qualify for?

Here are the VCT Challengers leagues and the Premier zones that feed into them, with each zone consisting of one or several location-based “gamepods.”

VCT Challengers LeaguePremier ZoneLocation-based Gamepod
North AmericaU.S. EastAshburn, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta
North AmericaU.S. WestOregon, Dallas, Chicago, Northern California
BrazilBrazilSão Paulo
LATAM NorthLATAM NorthMexico City, Miami, LATAM Chicago
LATAM SouthLATAM SouthSantiago, Bogota
DACH (Germany, Switzerland, Austria)DACHFrankfurt
Northern EuropeNorthern EuropeLondon, Stockholm
PortugalIBITMadrid
SpainIBITMadrid
ItalyIBITMadrid
FranceFranceParis
Eastern EuropeEastern EuropeWarsaw
TurkeyTurkeyIstanbul
MENA (Middle East, North Africa)Middle EastBahrain
JapanJapanTokyo
South KoreaSouth KoreaSeoul
South AsiaSouth AsiaMumbai
Malaysia & SingaporeAsiaSingapore, Hong Long
IndonesiaAsiaSingapore, Hong Long
ThailandAsiaSingapore, Hong Long
VietnamAsiaSingapore, Hong Long
PhilippinesAsiaSingapore, Hong Long
Hong Kong & TaiwanAsiaSingapore, Hong Long
OceaniaOceaniaSydney

Teams that are eligible to be promoted out of the Invite Division and into a regional VCT Challengers league will be contacted by Riot and provided with further details.

Invite Division officially goes live at the start of Episode Nine.

Author
Image of Scott Robertson
Scott Robertson
VALORANT lead staff writer, also covering CS:GO, FPS games, other titles, and the wider esports industry. Watching and writing esports since 2014. Previously wrote for Dexerto, Upcomer, Splyce, and somehow MySpace. Jack of all games, master of none.