The invited duo will join four other invited sides and two who came out of the Japan and EMEA qualifiers.
JAPAN – DRX and FNATIC have been invited to compete at Red Bull Home Ground Tokyo, the event organizer has announced. The Pacific and EMEA sides complete the list of six invited teams, leaving two spots to be claimed by the victors of the EMEA and Japan Qualifiers.
The tournament will kick off on November 3, with the eight teams competing in a Swiss format featuring two best-of-one rounds. From here, the six leading teams will progress to the double-elimination playoffs spanning the subsequent two days, culminating in a best-of-five grand final on November 5.
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The reigning champions, 100 Thieves, secured their title at the previous Red Bull Home Ground in Manchester last year by clinching a 3-0 victory over Cloud9. The North American squad was the first to confirm their participation in the Tokyo event, joined shortly by the previous runners-up, Cloud9, and the hometown favorites, ZETA DIVISION and SCARZ.
DRX enter the tournament on the heels of a 5th-6th place finish at VALORANT Champions 2023, where they were bested by tournament frontrunners FNATIC in the lower bracket of the playoffs.
Initially knocked down to the lower bracket by LOUD in the opening round, the EMEA team led by Jake “Boaster” Howlett fought their way back by defeating both FUT Esports and DRX. However, they ultimately fell to the Brazilian team LOUD for the second time in the Los Angeles event, effectively closing the chapter on their near-dynastic run in fourth place after claiming victories in two of the three international competitions this year.
FNATIC’s participation in the upcoming Red Bull Home Ground event places them as overwhelming favorites. They have an opportunity to secure their second trophy in Tokyo, having previously triumphed in the VALORANT Masters event earlier this year.
Listed as one of the OFF//SEASON events, Red Bull Home Ground Tokyo will be hosted at the Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena. Details regarding the prize pool are yet to be disclosed as of this writing.
The team list for the Red Bull Home Ground Tokyo Event is available below:
| 🇺🇸 100 Thieves | 🇯🇵 ZETA DIVISION |
| 🇺🇸 Cloud9 | 🇯🇵 SCARZ |
| 🇰🇷 DRX | 🇬🇧 FNATIC |
| EMEA Qualifier | Japan Qualifier |
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Cover photo courtesy of Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
