The Guard will not be taking part in the VCT Americas, despite qualifying

It's a surprising and rather worrying announcement: Riot Games has decided that The Guard could not take part in the VCT Americas 2024despite its victory in the VCL. Furthermore, no team will be selected to replace them, which means that there will be no new team in the next VCT Americas season.

The news broke last night on the American league's official X account.

After several months of discussions with The Guard, the organisation did not respond to the VCT Americas Team Participation Agreements in time.

As a result, The Guard will not participate in the VCT Americas League 2024. No team will be promoted to the VCT Americas and the league will have 10 teams next season.

Riot Games did not disclose the details that led to this decision. We don't know why The Guard failed to sign off on the deal, but we also don't know why Riot Games isn't allowing players to recover the slot independently of The Guard. In the worst-case scenario, we might have expected M80 could replace The Guardsince they were in the VCL final. But no, none of these solutions were adopted.

The decision is surprising, to say the least, since it appears to cancel an entire year of competition in the American region. It erases the involvement and investment of the players and The Guard as well as that of all the other organisations that have participated in the American league. Above all, it undermines the competitive circuit.

Many players, coaches, influencers and team owners have expressed their incomprehension and even frustration. They include DisguisedToast, owner of Disguised, but also Ludwigco-owner of Moist.

It remains to be seen whether Riot Games will speak out to explain its decision in the face of widespread discontent.