Everything you need to know about VCT Ascension EMEA 2025

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 10/10/2025

This year’s Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Ascension tournament in EMEA is going to be slightly different.

After the relegation of both Gentle Mates and Apeks, there will be two promotion spots available for VCT EMEA 2026.

Though Gentle Mates are controversially returning to VCT EMA after Riot Games kicked KOI.

Here is everything you need to know about VCT Ascension EMEA 2025, including the dates, format and participating teams.

VCT Ascension to be played fully on LAN for the first time

For the first time ever, VCT Ascension EMEA will be played fully in the Riot Games Arena in Berlin.

There will be no matches played online to ensure better competitive integrity.

However, only the two Ascension matches – which decide who earns promotion – will be played on stage in front of fans.

Before that, the Group Stages will be played backstage in the player practice rooms with a “fun and intimate broadcast approach” during these five days.

This more laid-back Group Stage broadcast will feature numerous guests, including co-streamers, Ascension players, team staff, and VCT EMEA pros who are still in Berlin.

VCT Ascension EMEA 2025 format

This year’s event will feature eight teams and a different format to allow for two teams to be promoted.

The teams competing in this year’s event are:

• ULF Esports
• BBL
• PCIFIC
• Twisted Minds
• Enterprise Esports
• Mandatory
• Joblife
• DNSTY
• FOKUS

VCL Mena Stage 2 champions Team RA’AD were supposed to be competing at VCT Ascension, but were kicked due to Riot’s team ownership policies.

Instead, Joblife have been added to the tournament and now have a major opportunity.

The eight teams have been separated into two groups and will compete in a GSL format of best-of-threes.

This means teams will face other teams with equal records as themselves. Win two series to advance or lose two series and face elimination.

Following that, four teams will advance to the two finals, aka the Ascension Matches.

The winner of Group A will face the runner-up of Group B, and vice versa, to decide the two newly promoted teams.

All matches will be played on Patch 11.07 with the following map pool:

• Abyss
• Ascent
• Bind
• Corrode
• Haven
• Lotus
• Sunset

When does VCT Ascension EMEA start?

VCT Ascension EMEA kicks off with the Group Stages on Saturday, October 18th, with the first match starting at 4pm BST.

Then, the two Ascension Matches will take place in the Riot Games Arena on Saturday, October 25th and Sunday, October 26th.

Each Ascension Match will start at 5pm BST on their respective days.

The full VCT Ascension schedule is as follows:

• October 18th: Group Stage Day 1 – two Bo3s (Group A)
• October 19th: Group Stage Day 2 – two Bo3s (Group B)
• October 20th: Group Stage Day 3 – two Bo3s (Loser matches of both groups)
• October 21st: Group Stage Day 4 – two Bo3s (Winner matches of both groups)
• October 22nd: Group Stage Day 5 – two Bo3s (Decider matches of both groups)
• October 23rd-24th: Break
• October 25th: First Ascension Match – one Bo5
• October 26th: Second Ascension Match – one Bo5

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

In my seven years of esports writing, I've introuduced esports coverage to newspapers, interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, and driven viewers mad with the puns in my YouTube scripts. I'm most proud of the latter.

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