Riot Games is set to fill the year with more VALORANT action, this time in a bid to strengthen its tier-two competition in one of the most competitive regions for VALORANT in the world.
In a press release, Riot Games announced the launch of the VCT Challengers Southeast Asia, bringing together its SEA markets under one major league. Affected markets include Indonesia, Malaysia/Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan/Hong Kong, which will bring a total of 5 Challengers leagues in the region starting later this year.
“Starting from September 2024, we will consolidate our efforts on one regional league, VCT Challengers Southeast Asia (SEA),” Riot Games said in its statement. “Our hope is that by narrowing our focus and operating more efficiently, we can improve the overall quality of the tournament for teams and fans across the region.”
Challengers SEA will be composed of winning teams of the five regions and its so-called top Premier teams. “ Top ranking teams have a chance for direct slots, while remaining Challengers Split 2 participants will be placed into the Invite tier of Premier to fight for a second chance at qualifying,” Riot Games said.
The goal is, Riot says, to provide an enhanced level of competition beyond teams from the team’s respective countries. “We are excited to see how the level of competition will change as teams start to test their skills beyond their usual domestic pools,” Riot Games said.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT AND DATES
Riot Games has also shared the full format and details of the tournaments, as shared below.
VCT Challengers Split 3 2024 APAC Overview
Challengers Southeast Asia
Dates*: October – December 2024
Total Teams: 16 total
- 12 teams from Challengers Southeast Asia leagues (Indonesia, Malaysia/Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan/Hong Kong)
- The top 2 teams from each Southeast Asian league currently active for Summer Split will qualify for Split 3.
- 4 teams from Premier Episode 9
- 1 team from Act 1
- 3 teams from Act 2
Challengers Japan
Dates*: October – December 2024
Total Teams: 16 total
- 4 teams from Challengers Japan Split 2
- 12 teams from Premier
- 4 teams from Episode 8 Act 3
- 4 teams from Episode 9 Act 1
- 4 teams from Episode 9 Act 2
Challengers South Korea
Dates*: October – November, 2024
Total Teams: 16 total
- 8 teams from Challengers South Korea Split 2
- 8 teams from Premier Episode 9
- 4 teams from Act 1
- 4 teams from Act 2
Challengers South Asia
Dates*: September – October, 2024
Total Teams: 14 total
- 8 teams from Challengers South Asia Split 2
- 2 teams from Premier Episode 9
- 1 from Act 1
- 1 from Act 2
- 4 teams from Open Qualifier
Challengers Oceania
Dates*: October – November 2024
Total Teams: 16 total
- 8 teams from Challengers Oceania Split 2
- 8 teams from Premier Episode 9
- 4 from Act 1
- 4 from Act 2
“As part of our push for sustainability, we will also be extending the Challengers calendar to 3 splits this year. We’ve heard our community and recognise the need for an evergreen format that gives teams and players more stability and time to compete and hone their skills”, Riot Games said. “This year, we will launch our final split after Ascension. This is also when we will formally integrate Premier teams into our Challengers leagues across APAC.”
