EDward Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix are through to VALORANT Masters Madrid after taking down Trace Esports and Dragon Ranger Gaming, respectively.
CHINA – EDward Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix have both secured spots at VALORANT Masters Madrid after finishing top two at VCT CN KICKOFF.
EDward Gaming secured their position by facing Wolves Esports in the Group C winners’ match, requiring just a single victory as the region’s top seed with a deeper group seeding, and later overcoming Trace Esports in the qualifying match. FunPlus Phoenix, on the other hand, had to conquer Nova Esports in the Group A opening round before beating Trace Esports and Dragon Ranger Gaming.
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In the semi-finals against Trace Esports, Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang stood out with an impressive ACS of 311 in the series. Meanwhile, Qu “Life” Donghao, who joined FPX after the 2023 season with the now-defunct Attacking Soul Esports, emerged as the team’s highest-rated player, boasting a 261.3 ACS over 154 rounds played as a duelist.
FunPlus Phoenix’s qualification for VALORANT Masters Madrid marks a historic moment for Oceania, as Kale “autumn” Dunne becomes the first player from the region to secure a spot in a tier-one international VALORANT event.
Meanwhile, EDward Gaming as China’s undisputed frontrunners will qualify for their fifth international tournament following Istanbul, São Paulo, Tokyo, and Los Angeles. “As long as I am here, I will bring back all the domestic trophies to Lingshi Road [EDG],” Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang said, expressing confidence in their continued domestic success.
VALORANT Masters Madrid will run from March 14 through to March 24, with eight teams in contention. EDG and FPX will join the likes of Paper Rex and Gen.G as the representatives from Asia. On the EMEA front, Team Heretics and Karmine Corp have emerged as unexpected contenders, securing their places by defeating NAVI and FNATIC, respectively, in thrilling matchups last night.
The team list for the Spanish event currently features:
| Paper Rex | Gen.G |
| EDward Gaming | FunPlus Phoenix |
| Karmine Corp | Team Heretics |
| EG/LOUD | NRG/SEN |
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Cover photo courtesy of VALORANT Esports CN
