The VCT EMEA Kickoff 2025 is set to take place from January 15 to February 10 at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin, Germany. Twelve teams will compete for two slots in the first international tournament of 2025, VALORANT Masters Bangkok.
Curious about all the details of this tournament? Let’s take a closer look.
Image Credits: Riot Games
The tournament will be broadcast live worldwide on Twitch and YouTube through the official Riot Games channels.
As with the previous edition in 2024, fans can enjoy the tournament at upcoming VCT offline watch parties around the globe or through online watch parties. Riot Games will continue to grant various creators watch party access, enabling them to stream the matches on their own channels. Many of these creators will offer commentary and insights in their regional languages, providing fans with numerous viewing options.
Since the VCT EMEA Kickoff 2025 is the region’s first event of the year, multiple official streams from VALORANT will also be available. Fans can tune in to watch matches in various regional languages, including Portuguese, French, German, and Spanish.
Image Credits: Riot Games
Since its inaugural season two years ago, VCT EMEA has cultivated one of the world’s most diverse esports fanbases. The league features teams from various countries across Europe. This year, players from 21 different countries are participating. Notably, the three countries with the highest number of players in the league are Turkey, Poland, and Russia, with 12 players from Turkey, nine from Poland, and six from Russia.
In the 2025 season, 12 teams will compete in the tournament. Below is a list of all 12 teams in VCT EMEA:
It is worth noting that both Gentle Mates and Apeks qualified for this league after winning VCT EMEA Ascension in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Only Gentle Mates has a VCT Capsule alongside the 10 partner teams within VCT EMEA, with Apeks stated to receive theirs a few months later.
Image Credits: Riot Games
The VCT EMEA Kickoff 2025 format will closely resemble that of the VCT Pacific Kickoff 2025, utilizing a double-elimination bracket. All matches up to the lower bracket final will follow a best-of-three format, while the lower bracket final and Grand Final will be best-of-five series. The tournament will run from January 15 to February 10.
The four VCT EMEA teams that qualified for VALORANT Champions 2024 will start in the Upper Quarterfinals round, receiving a bye. The remaining eight teams will begin their journey in Round 1. Notably, many teams this year are competing with entirely new rosters, and several others have undergone significant roster changes.
The top two teams in this tournament will qualify for the VCT Masters Bangkok, scheduled to begin on February 20. The winner of the VCT EMEA Kickoff will earn 3 Championship Points, while the runner-up will receive 2 points. Teams finishing in 3rd and 4th place will each earn 1 point.
VCT Kickoff EMEA was introduced back in 2024, when Karmine Corp won, and Team Heretics came in second. Both teams qualified for VCT Masters Madrid, during which none could finish in the top 4 during that tournament. Interestingly, Fnatic is the only team within the VCT EMEA League to have won any international trophies within VALORANT Esports.
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