The format and dates for VCT Philippines Stage 1 Challengers, which will take place January 22 – February 27, have been announced by PPGL as the tournament organizer.
The new VALORANT Champions Tour structure reflects the format change for teams to qualify for the VCT Asia-Pacific Challengers Playoffs. While it previously featured three weeks of play in the lead-up via three VCT Challengers tournaments, they now have just one chance through a larger circuit structure of multiple layers of qualifiers that demands more games to be played. Nevertheless, the format still guarantees that only the most deserving teams emerge victoriously.
ALSO READ: Everything you need to know about VCT APAC 2022
VCT Philippines Stage 1 Challengers will kick off with two-phase of open qualifiers. The first phase, slated for January 22-23, will see the top 32 teams from this BO3 single-elimination bracket progress to the second phase (closed qualifier). Additional information about the registration process and rules of the tournament can be found on the official VCT APAC website and PPGL’s social media accounts.
The qualified teams then will play on the second phase, in a similar format but double-elimination. The top six teams will automatically qualify for the main event, where they will join other yet-to-be-announced invited teams. The group stage, which runs from February 10-13, will feature a BO3 double round-robin format with no eliminations.
This group stage will resume four days later in the same format but with six playoff berths on the line. The group’s first-place finishers will proceed to the Playoffs’ Upper Bracket Round 2. Each group’s second and third-place finishers will advance to the Playoffs’ Upper Bracket Round 1. The fourth-place finishers in each group will be eliminated.
The playoffs will play on a double-elimination format from February 24. BO3s will be contested until the semi-finals. The following round of the grand final series will consist of five map sets (BO5).
| Tournament | Date |
| Open Qualifier – Phase 1 | January 22-23 |
| Open Qualifier – Phase 2 | January 29-30 |
| Main Event – Group Stage – Phase 1 | February 10-13 |
| Main Event – Group Stage – Phase 2 | February 17-20 |
| Main Event – Knockout Stage | February 24-27 |
More details about the circuit points and the other regions’ format will be released in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for updates.
More to come…
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Cover photo courtesy of VALORANT Esports/PPGL
