Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) 2023 partner teams announced

Not everyone likes the idea of league partnership teams, and some would say the best possible teams based on performance should be in the biggest leagues and tournaments. Following the massive Valorant Champions 2022, Riot Games have announced 30 Partner Teams for the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) for 2023…

VCT 2023 Parnter Teams

Riot Games revealed during the announcement of the VCT 2023 Partner Teams that competitive performance was not a key consideration in the decision-making process. This is important to note before you see the list of teams picked. While the Valorant Champions of 2022 are there, some very high-level teams are not.

The 30 teams have been picked with the following criteria in mind. It is important to note that Riot Games did say the decisions were difficult.

• Organizations that share their values of always putting fans first, celebrating the diverse community, and are committed to supporting pros.
• Organizations that have created a strong connection with fans through engaging content, a compelling brand, and an exciting roster.
• Organizations that build for the long-term, with a focus on sustainability.

So which big-name teams didn’t make the cut? OpTic Gaming isn’t there, neither is FunPlus Phoenix, XSET, Guild Esports and more. For reference, if you don’t know Valorant esports well, OpTic Gaming placed 2nd in the Valorant Champions 2022 tournament, while FunPlus Phoenix placed 4th.

The partner teams will represent the three new consolidated regions: Americas, EMEA and Pacific. The three regions will each have a base city: Los Angeles, Berlin and Seoul.

Americas VCT partner teams:

• Sentinels
• 100 Thieves
• Evil Geniuses
• Cloud9
• FURIA
• LOUD
• MIBR
• NRG
• LEVIATAN
• KRU Esports

EMEA VCT partner teams:

• Team Vitality
• Team Liquid
• Fnatic
• Karmine Corp
• Giants
• FUT Esports
• Team Heretics
• Na’Vi
• KOI
• BBL Esports

Pacific VCT partner teams:

• DRX
• Team Secret
• T1
• GEN.G
• ZETA Division
• Detonation Gaming
• Global Esports
• Talon Esports
• Paper Rex
• Rex Regum
• Qeon

Don’t like the list, or don’t entirely agree with some glaring omissions? You aren’t alone. Riot Games explains, “With so many teams in our ecosystem, it’s inevitable that someone’s favorite team didn’t make the cut, but that doesn’t mean their journey in the VCT ends here. Over 20 Challengers leagues will run across the world, offering a place for teams to win their region and earn their shot to play in the international leagues through the new Ascension tournaments.”

We can’t help but wonder if Partner Teams for the VCT 2023 is a good idea and what it will do to the players in some of the top teams who didn’t make it.

Header image via Riot Games.