The eight teams we will see in action in Madrid from March 14-24 are set.
SPAIN – The team list for VALORANT Masters Madrid has been finalized after the culmination of the respective Pacific, EMEA, CN, and Americas KICKOFF events. The identities of all representatives from each region are now identified, with each fielding two representatives. It features a mix of seasoned veterans in the scene to newcomers making their international debut.
VALORANT’s first international event of the year, Masters Madrid, is set to take place from March 14-24, marking its return to Europe after a year since Champions 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey. The tournament will adopt a Swiss format during the initial five days, followed by a two-day break, and will then proceed with the playoffs.
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The Pacific region is the first to send its representatives, and the qualifying teams are Paper Rex and Gen.G, securing victories against T1 and DRX, respectively. Therefore, DRX’s failure to qualify for VALORANT Masters Madrid marks the Vision Strikers core’s first absence from an international event since Masters Berlin 2021.
EMEA was rife with unexpected outcomes, with Team Heretics earning the opportunity to represent their region on home soil by defeating Masters Copenhagen champions Natus Vincere (formerly FPX). And in a surprising turn of events, FNATIC will be absent from their first international event since Masters Berlin in 2021 after their defeat to Karmine Corp in the qualifying match. This setback opens the door for The Blue Wall’s international VALORANT debut, now under the guidance of coach Andrey “ENGH” Sholokhov.
The CN region saw relatively few surprises, as EDward Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix secured qualification by emerging victorious against Trace Esports and Dragon Ranger Gaming, respectively.
Meanwhile, the qualifying matches in the Americas region were tightly contested, with the first match featuring a nail-biter between Evil Geniuses and LOUD. Evil Geniuses secured the first map, but the Brazilian representatives executed a reverse sweep in the following two to clinch their spot in Madrid. In the North American derby between Sentinels and NRG Esports, Tyson “TenZ” Ngo and Zachary “zekken” Patrone played key roles in SEN City’s victory, marking the end of a 932-day absence from international competitions since Champions Berlin in 2021.
The outcomes in the Americas region also mean that none of the five players and the coach from the 2023 VALORANT Champions-winning team of Evil Geniuses will participate in VALORANT Masters Madrid. Players from NRG (Ethan, Demon1), EG (jawgemo, potter), 100T (Boostio), and Leviatán (C0M) all faced defeats on their journey to qualification.
The eight teams competing at VALORANT Masters Madrid are as follows:
| Gen.G | Paper Rex |
| Sentinels | LOUD |
| EDward Gaming | FunPlus Phoenix |
| Karmine Corp | Team Heretics |
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Cover photo courtesy of VCT Pacific
