19th January 2022

The format of the Challengers 1 NA 2022

While the qualifying rounds for the first Challengers of the year have begun in some regions, this is not yet the case in North America. Up until now, there has been very little information about the VCT 2022 NA, but Riot Games recently published a press release that provides many details about the tournament and how it will be run.

The Challengers 1 NA Programme

The qualification stages

As in all the other regions, NA will haveonly one Challengers for Phase 1. In order to qualify, teams will have to go through open qualifications, which will be split into two tournaments. The two stages will see a maximum of 128 teams compete and will each other four places for the main event.

The first two rounds of these stages will be played in single elimination. However, from the quarter-finals onwards, matches will be played in double elimination. All matches will be in BO3 format.

Once the first tournament is over, the top four teams will qualify for the Challengers 1 NA main event. Those in the top 5-16 will qualify for the Open Qualifier 2, which will give them a second chance to qualify for the main event.

It's important to remember that both tournaments should be played on patch 4.01 and that Neon will be available. We can't wait to see if the professionals will play her as quickly or if she will be left aside for a few weeks.

The main event

At the end of the two qualifying rounds, the eight teams will join four teams already invited by Riot Games. These are Cloud 9, Sentinels, Team Envy and 100 Thieves. The first three are teams that participated in Valorant Champions 2021, while 100 Thieves was selected based on the final points standings from the previous season.

The twelve teams will be divided into two groups and will compete over five weeks, from 11th February to 27th March, in double elimination BO3 matches.

The playoffs

At the end of this five-week competition, the top eight teams will enter a playoff phase, which starts on 17th March. They will play double elimination BO3 matches. The finals of the Upper and Lower Bracket, as well as the Grand Final, will be played in BO5.

The two teams that make it to the Grand Final will earn a spot in the first Masters of the year.

Dates and information to remember

Open Qualifier #1 :

From 27th to 28th January – Matches from 3pm (PST)
From 29th to 30th January – Matches from 12pm (PST)

Open Qualifier #2 :

From 3rd to 4th February – Matches from 3pm (PST)
From 5th to 6th February – Matches from 12pm (PST)

Main Event :

From 11th February to 13th March
Matches every Friday/Saturday/Sunday for 5 weeks
Matches from 12pm (PST)

Playoffs :

From 17th to 27th March
Matches every Friday/Saturday/Sunday for 2 weeks
Matches from 12pm (PST)

Where to watch the competition?

If you want to follow the Challengers 1 North America, please visit YouTube or Twitch.