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UK and Spain-based esports organisation GiantX have unveiled their new Valorant team for next year’s Valorant Champions Tour (VCT 2025).
The org said in a press release that their primary goal is to qualify for Valorant Champions, the world championship that will take place in Paris, after an uneven 2024 season.
The roster includes Cloud, Purp0, Westside, Runner, and Tomaszy. Russians Cloud and Purp0 remain with the organisation, while Westside (Poland), Runner (North Macedonia), and Tomaszy (Portugal) are new additions.
The news comes after GiantX lifted their first trophy by winning the mixed gender Valorant Spotlight Series, with a team that featured Purp0, Westside, runneR, Joliinaa, and Miyori.
For VCT 2025, GiantX said: “Cloud will take on the role of in-game leader (IGL). Purp0 will continue to bring his ability to perform in key situations. Westside joins from Diamant Esports and makes his debut at the highest level. Runner, previously with Team Vitality, played in the 2024 world championship. Tomaszy, formerly of Rebels Gaming and Karmine Corp, also joins the project.”
The coaching staff will be led by Pipson (Russia), with Waylander (Finland) as assistant coach.
Pipson said: “Our goal isn’t focused on results but rather on using every match to grow, adapt, and keep improving. To achieve this, we’ll be heading to Turkey for a bootcamp. We aim to enjoy this event while staying focused on what truly matters: being fully prepared for the Kickoff.”
This weekend, GiantX will participate in the pre-season tournament Intel Monsters Reloaded 2024 in Istanbul. Their first opponent will be Team Liquid on Saturday at 6pm. If they win, they will face the winner of the match between BBL Esports and SuperMassive in the final.
VCT 2025 schedule including dates and new additions for latest Valorant esports season
The latest Valorant Champions Tour (VCT 2025) season kicks off in January with new teams, expanded formats and a revised calendar to enhance competition, Riot Games said in a press update today.
Key updates include 12-team leagues, revamped Championship Points and an extended season starting in January and concluding towards the end of the year.
There will be 48 teams overall, with 12 teams per league (EMEA, Pacific, CN, and Americas). Once again there will also be international Masters events, and the Champions Paris world championship, plus the women’s Game Changers Championship.
The Kickoff Tournaments start dates are:
- January 11: VCT CN
- January 15: VCT EMEA
- January 16: VCT Americas
- January 18: VCT Pacific
The former will be 12-team double elimination, with the top four teams from 2024 getting a bye to Round 2. The top two teams will advance to Masters Bangkok.
The EMEA region will feature 12 teams in the 2025 VCT: GiantX, Fnatic, Natus Vincere, Team Liquid, KOI, Team Heretics, Apeks, BBL Esports, FUT Esports, Gentle Mates, Karmine Corp, and Team Vitality.
The official competition kicks off in January 2025 with the Kickoff Tournament, where teams will compete for a spot at the first international event of the year: Masters Bangkok.
In terms of the Global Events Schedule, it’s as follows:
- Masters Bangkok (Feb 20 – Mar 2): Top 2 teams from each league compete.
- Format: 8-team swiss stage followed by a 4-team double elimination playoffs.
- Masters Toronto (Jun 7 – Jun 22): Top 3 teams from Stage 1 Playoffs (12 total).
- Format: 8-team swiss stage (with the number one seed from each IL getting a bye to the next stage), followed by an 8-team double elimination playoffs.
- Champions Paris (Sept 12 – Oct 5): Features top teams from Stage 2, Championship Points, and global events.
- Format: Group Stage featuring four 4-team groups, followed by an 8-team double elimination playoffs.
In terms of what’s new for VCT 2025, Riot said:
- Expanded Calendar: More time between events to balance competition.
- Increased Matches: -Minimum: 12 per team. -Average: 18 matches. -Maximum: 23 matches (before global events).
- Stage Resets: Divided into two groups of six per stage, refreshing matchups mid-season.
- Playoff Expansion: 8-team double-elimination playoffs for longer team survival.
There will also be a Championship Point System, with points awarded to top teams at every stage and global event. And new qualification paths, with two teams qualifying from Stage 2 playoffs and two teams qualifying based on Championship Points.
Get more Valorant esports news on Esports News UK here
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
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 worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
