NA First: Valorant NA Challengers invites received, full team list, Challengers Circuit Preview
Six, with more to come
Several top teams in North America have received direct invites to the Valorant Challengers League. Hosted by Knights Arena, the Challengers circuit is slated to begin next week with open qualifiers. Open qualifiers will begin on the 9th of Jan.
The teams that have qualified are TSM, FaZe Clan, Shopify Rebellion, The Guard, G2 Esports, and M80. As covered by Strafe Esports during the off-season, most of these organizations failed to secure partnership with Riot Games, and thus have elected to continue competing in the Valorant ecosystem as a Challenger org.
Invited organizations are able to skip open qualifiers and instead head straight to the league, which will commence on Feb 1st until March 17th. Meanwhile, teams that did not receive an invitation to the league will have to compete from the 9th to the 13th of Jan, in the open qualifier. Four spots are available from that qualifier, with a further two in the Last Chance Qualifier, which has been slated for 17th till 22nd of Jan.
This means, a total of 12 teams will be competing from Feb 1st in the inaugural first split of the Challengers League. More details on broadcast scheduling and stream times can be found here and will be updated accordingly as more information comes to light.
Notable Teams in Open Qualifiers
Soniqs is a team that will be familiar to OG fans of NA Valorant, having watched this plucky squad make decently deep runs. Decorated by former XSET star Bryce “PureR,” this roster can certainly make a splash. The former Dark Ratio roster has also been linked to European organization MAD Lions, who reportedly were looking to pick up a North American Challenger team. With the core four of Dark Ratio including long-time NA star Taylor “drone” Johnson as well as former 100 Thieves Jett star William “Will” Cheng, the roster promises to be an exciting one to watch.
The newly-founded Disguised Toast organization is also gaining fan support and traction as they are reportedly competing in open qualifiers under the name ‘Hakuna Matata’. Led by decorated In-Game Leader Joshua “Steel” Nissan, formerly of 100 Thieves and T1, they contain a collection of ex-Knights members and their former coach, as well as upcoming talent Joseph “Clear” Allen. The roster formerly known as Soar will also be competing, having previously acquitted themselves well in the NA Stage 2 Challengers Open Qualifier earlier in the year.
Eyes on the Prize
With such an excess of talent in the North American region, the Challengers League there is hyped up as the most potentially exciting to watch. At the end of the season, the Ascension tournament will be held, with the top two teams from this league qualifying for it. The Ascension tournament is slated to occur between May 31st and June 10th, with the top teams from each of the 21 Challenger League facing off against each other for the one coveted spot of Ascension into International Leagues in 2024.
Image credit: Knights Arena/ Riot Games