The 2025 HERO ESPORTS Asian Champions League will be the first Riot-approved third-party mid-season tournament since the partnership era began, bringing together tier-one teams from both the Pacific and China.
CHINA – Hero Esports has officially announced the 2025 Asian Champions League for VALORANT, scheduled to take place from March 14-18 in Shanghai, China. The grand finals will be held at the Jing’an Sports Center, the same venue that hosted the 2024 Shanghai Esports Masters, where Paper Rex also competed before.
Happening between VCT Stage 1 and VCT Masters Toronto, the tournament will feature six teams in total, three from the Pacific region and three from China. The invited Pacific teams include DRX, Paper Rex, and ZETA DIVISION representing Pacific, while the three teams from CN are Bilibili Gaming, XLG, and Trace Esports.
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With a prize pool of up to US$160,000, the 2025 HERO ESPORTS Asian Champions League will introduce a unique format. The six participating teams will be seeded based on their placement in Stage 1 of their respective regions.
Teams will earn US$10,000 for each match they win, with an additional US$10,000 if they defeat a higher-seeded team.
On top of that, there’s a US$50,000 first-place prize, meaning teams can win up to US$140,000. More details about the format will be revealed at a later date.
(Beware of volume)
The HERO ESPORTS Asian Champions League (ACL) is currently the premier and largest international multi-title esports event in Asia. Hosted by leading esports company Hero Esports, the tournament boasts a total prize pool of $2 million.
This year, the inaugural ACL features nine premier esports titles, including Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Honor of Kings, Street Fighter 6, League of Legends Legend Cup S3, Teamfight Tactics, VALORANT Champions Tour, Delta Force, and CrossFire.
Danny Tang, Co-Founder and CEO of Hero Esports, said: “Hero Esports created the HERO ESPORTS Asian Champions League to bridge the gap between international tournaments and regional leagues, providing a clearer pathway for talented teams to compete on the global stage. The ACL’s continued collaboration with the Esports World Cup is an example of this vision becoming a reality, and it also represents Hero Esports’ commitment to shaping and empowering esports globally.”
The list of teams invited to attend the 2025 HERO Esports Asian Champions League can be found below:
| China | Pacific |
| Bilibili Gaming | DRX |
| XLG | Paper Rex |
| Trace Esports | ZETA DIVISION |
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Cover photo courtesy of HERO ESPORTS
