VCT 2022 Last Chance Qualifiers Preview
The 2022 Valorant Champions Tour season is slowly reaching its final stages. The entire season lead to the big finale and 2022 Valorant Champions that will be held in Istanbul in September.
Ten out of sixteen teams heading to Istanbul have already qualified via Circuit points they gathered with their good performances over the year. Finally, the six remaining teams will be decided by the regional Last Chance Qualifiers.
North America
OpTic Gaming and XSET have already booked their tickets to Turkey, with only one spot up for grabs. Eight teams will square off in a double-elimination bracket to determine who it will be.
Teams competing for the final spot at Champions in NA's LCQ are The Guard, Sentinels, Shopify Rebellion, Cloud 9, NRG, 100 Thieves, FaZe Clan, and Evil Geniuses.
The competition has already started with The Guard spoiling Shroud's comeback to competitive play with a 2-1 victory and FaZe Clan defeating EG.
Besides them, Shopify Rebellion will face off against Cloud 9, and the final Upper Quarterfinal matchup is 100Thieves vs. NRG.
EMEA
Besides reigning Copenhagen Masters champions FunPlus Phoenix and Fnatic, Europe will send one more representative to Istanbul. In the same format as NA, eight teams will compete for Champions qualification over the next ten days.
EMEA LCQ teams are G2 Esports, Guild Esports, Team Liquid, M3C, Ascend, BBL Esports, Natus Vincere, and OG LDN UTD.
The action kicks off on Sunday with G2 Esports facing OG LDN UTD and M3C playing vs. Ascend, who hope to secure a chance to defend their 2021 Champions title in Istanbul.
The remaining round one matches feature Team Liquid facing BBL Esports and Stage 2 surprise Guild Esports playing vs. NAVI.
Other Regions
The only tournament with two Champions qualification spots is South American LCQ, which features teams from Brazil and LATAM regions.
Brazillian teams in the tournament are: Ninjas in Pyjamas, Keyd Stars, FURIA, and TBK Esports, while LATAM teams are: KRU Esports, FUSION, E-Xolos LAZER, and 9z Team. Brazil's LOUD and LATAM's Leviatan have already qualified.
APAC LCQ is already well underway, with only three series left to play. Team Secret will face ONIC Esports in the lower bracket semifinal, with the victor playing vs. Bleed eSports. Ultimately, the winner will face off vs. BOOM Esports in the Grand final to join Paper Rex and XERXIA as APAC's third representative.
Finally, East Asian LCQ features teams from Korea, Japan, and for the first time China. Only one team will join Korea's DRX and Japanese ZETA Division in Istanbul.
Teams competing in the tournament are: Korean Maru Gaming, Damwon Kia, On Sla2ers, Japanese Northeption, Crazy Raccoon, REJECT, and Chinese Edward Gaming and KONE.
The VCT 2022 Last Chance Qualifiers continue on Saturday, August 6th, and you can watch all the action live on Twitch and YouTube.