VALORANT Challengers Korea Split 1 begins today, here is everything you need to know!
SOUTH KOREA – VALORANT Challengers Korea Split 1 is kicking off from February 5 to March 27, marking the first Challengers event of the season for Korea. The tournament will feature a four-week Regular Season, leading up to an offline LAN playoff stage. The six-day playoffs on March 12-13, 19-20, and 26-27 will be held in front of a live audience at WDG Studio Hongdae in Seoul.
The ongoing VCT Pacific Kickoff has already shown the depth of talent in the Korean Challengers scene, with three of the four Korean teams, despite the OFF//SEASON shuffle, securing top-four finishes. Ascension 2024 champions Nongshim RedForce (previously Sin Prisa Gaming) also had a strong performance, placing 5th-6th and nearly making it an all-Korean top four.
With their track record of consistently producing top-tier talent for VCT Pacific, the upcoming Challengers Korea season is set to deliver more of the same.
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The event will feature eight teams, including the top five from the 2024 VALORANT Challengers Korea Split 3 and three academy teams. FearX now field the former Nongshim RedForce Challengers roster and are considered the team to beat after finishing runners-up in Split 2 and champions in Split 3 last year.
Dplus have signed most of the former fOu Clan roster, which finished second in Split 3, while FN Pocheon picked up the CRG core, who were semifinalists in Split 3.
The three academy teams (DRX Prospects, Gen.G Global Academy, and T1 Academy) are safe from relegation, ensuring their spot in the next Split. However, as per global Challengers rules, academy teams cannot earn Circuit Points or qualify for VCT Ascension Pacific to prevent conflicts if promoted to VCT Pacific.
The VALORANT Challengers Korea Split 1 team list is as follows:
The Regular Season will run from February 5 to March 6, featuring a round-robin format where all teams will face each other over four weeks. The top six teams will advance to the playoffs, which will take place from March 12-27 in a LAN event at WDG Studio Hongdae. Teams will compete for Circuit Points, which determine qualification for VCT Ascension Pacific 2025, with points increasing in weight as the season progresses, making Split 3 the most valuable.
The tournament will be streamed live on YouTube, AfreecaTV/SOOP, and CHZZK.
The schedule for the tournament is as follows (M1 begins 4 PM GMT+8):
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Cover photo courtesy of VALORANT Esports Korea
