Riot Games EMEA has announced the LAN finals locations of Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Ascension EMEA and VCT Game Changers EMEA Stage 3.
VCT Ascension EMEA will head to Berlin, while VCT Game Changers EMEA Stage 3 will return to Istanbul, Türkiye.
They have also released further information about the format, schedule, and more.
VCT Ascension EMEA 2025
VCT Ascension EMEA returns to the Riot Games Arena in Berlin this October, featuring a revamped format and full LAN play.
The region’s top Tier 2 teams will compete at VCT Ascension EMEA for the top prize and place in VCT EMEA.
The tournament will go on from October 19th to 26th at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin, Germany.
All matches will be played on LAN in the arena to ensure a level playing field at the highest level.
However, the earlier matches will be held in the Pro Player High Performance Rooms.
Riot Games EMEA has justified this as the sustainable option to allow players to compete on LAN.
The rooms are currently being refurbished, with upgraded PCs and other equipment to ensure they meet the standards required for official matches.
The tournament will then culminate with the Grand Final, which will be held on stage in front of a live audience.
With everything to play for, these teams are fighting for victory and the chance to call Berlin home next season.
VCT Ascension EMEA 2025 Format
This year, Riot Games expanded the Tier 2 ecosystem through Challengers EMEA, providing more teams with the platform to prove themselves.
With VCT Ascension EMEA on the horizon, Riot Games has attempted to streamline the Ascension format.
However, this has come at the cost of competing teams, having reduced the number of qualifying teams from ten to six.
VCT Ascension EMEA 2025 will feature a double-elimination bracket played in best-of-three series.
The Grand Final will move to best-of-fives for the Lower Bracket Final and Grand Final to crown our Ascension champions, and determine who will join the VCT EMEA next season.
Qualification
Due to their performance in VCT EMEA Stage 1, Apeks and Gentle Mates will have to fight to retain their Tier 1 status.
This comes with multiple conditions for the former Ascension teams.
For the teams wanting to compete at VCT Ascension EMEA 2025:
- One slot is awarded to the winner of Challengers EMEA Stage 3.
- Three slots will be offered to the top Tier 2 teams on Ascension Circuit Points (academy teams excluded).
The last two spots will be decided based on the outcome of VCT EMEA Stage 2 for Apeks and Gentle Mates.
To automatically retain their place in VCT EMEA, either team must qualify for Valorant Champions (Champs) Paris, which would see them skip Ascension entirely.
- If both teams qualify for Champs Paris, then the lower-performing team at the event will drop into Ascension.
- If their performances at Champs Paris are identical, the tiebreaker will be decided by:
- Total Championship Points
- Followed by their Stage 2 placement
- Followed by their Stage 1 placement
- Followed by their Kickoff placement
In that scenario, the 4th-ranked Tier 2 team based on Ascension Circuit Points would join the relegated team in Ascension to complete the six-team bracket.
If neither team qualifies for Champs, then they’ll be seeded into Ascension either through:
- Reaching Stage 2 Playoffs
- Finish in the top 8 (including joint 8th) overall based on Championship Points.
If either team meets the criteria, they’ll enter Ascension as the first or second seed, with a chance to reclaim their spot in VCT EMEA.
It would mean no additional Challengers teams would qualify, unless only one of those teams were able to meet the requirements.
If that happens, the 4th-ranked Tier 2 team based on Ascension Circuit Points will fill the final slot in the tournament.
Finally, if both fail to meet these criteria, then they won’t have the chance to fight for their place in VCT EMEA.
Their slots in Ascension will go to the 4th and 5th ranked Tier 2 teams on the Ascension Circuit Points leaderboard.
This would mean that there would be two new teams from Ascension competing in VCT EMEA.
VCT Ascension EMEA 2025 Schedule
This year’s Ascension features an action-packed schedule, with six days of tense competition between our six teams.
The full schedule follows four days of non-stop actions from October 19th to 22nd.
Following one day of rest, there will be the lower bracket final and then the Grand Final two days after, on October 26th.
Riot Games has promised to reveal when tickets will go on-sale in the coming weeks via their social channels.
Game Changers EMEA Stage 3 Istanbul
Last year, Riot Games took Game Changers on the road for the first time, bringing the EMEA Stage 3 Grand Finals to Istanbul, Türkiye.
Thanks to the success of last year’s grand finals, Riot Games will be returning to the ESA Arena on November 2nd.
The stakes are high with the Stage 3 winner qualifying for the Valorant Game Changers Championship as EMEA’s first seed.
They’ll be joined by the top two teams based on Game Changers Circuit Points.
The road to the Grand Final begins with the Game Changers EMEA Stage 3 running from September 30th to October 25th.
The Grand Final will take place at the ESA Arena in Istanbul, Türkiye, on November 2nd.
Riot Games will reveal ticket information for the Grand Final in the coming weeks on their social media channels.
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