LDN UTD reach VCT 2022 EMEA Stage 1 Challengers after beating Excel in closed qualifier lower bracket final

Dom Sacco, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 18/06/2025

UK esports organisation LDN UTD are celebrating after securing passage to the first Valorant EMEA Challengers event of the year.

They defeated Excel Esports 3-0 in the closed qualifier lower bracket final on the weekend to qualify for Challengers Stage 1.

Excel will be disappointed after failing to qualify, after falling 3-1 to G2 in the upper bracket final then losing 3-0 to LDN UTD in the lower bracket final. They put in hard work only to fall at the final hurdle.

The results also mean G2 as well as LDN UTD qualify for Stage 1 Challengers, which starts on February 11th 2022.

LDN UTD and G2 join the likes of Team Liquid and Fnatic – teams with UK talent – and UK organisation Guild Esports.

Other teams taking part in Challengers 1 in EMEA include Acend, Gambit, BIG, Supermassive Blaze, FunPlus Phoenix, BBL Esports and Navi.

Guild qualified for VCT EMEA Challengers 1 earlier this month and also announced a new £4.5m sponsor and HQ.

LDN UTD’s Valorant roster mostly consists of Lithuanian players (Boo, Destrian, Dreamas and feqew), plus Polish player MOLSI.

They recently beat their way through an open qualifier before storming the lower bracket of the closed qualifier, beating the likes of Rebels, fellow UK org Tenstar, Vitality and Excel.

Olly Weingarten, LDN UTD founder and CEO, told Esports News UK: “We’re delighted to reach the VCT and credit to our team and coaching staff.

“We will be using this achievement to continue our ethos to develop grassroots talent and encouraging participation in the UK ecosystem.”

Earlier today, Excel esports director Tim Reichert told Esports News UK: “On last weekend with Valorant, we won’t stop trying and at some point we will have the success [we strive for].

“We were in a good spot in the upper bracket finals, but it wasn’t a good weekend, there were a bit of nerves… we’ll do it next time.”

Related article: Late last year Riot announced Valorant Regional Leagues and Circuits for EMEA in 2022, including a UK, Ireland and Nordics league run by Promod Esports.

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Dom Sacco, Senior Editor

Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He has almost two decades of experience in journalism, and left Esports News UK in June 2025. As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late '80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He also previously worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation.

All Posts By Dom Sacco