ESports: Valorant Champions 2022 Odds and Overview

New Champion to be Crowned in Istanbul

After a long journey through the 2022 season, the top 16 teams in the world are set to compete in the VALORANT Champions 2022 tournament. The tournament started last Wednesday 8/31. The original start date was supposed to be 9/2, but Riot Games adjusted the start date to better accommodate the players. The VALORANT Champions 2022 odds are in and esports betters will need to know who are the best picks.

Like last year’s tournament, ten teams qualified via VCT (VALORANT Champions Tour) points earned through Challengers and Masters events. In addition, the final six teams to qualify for the competition are the winners of their respective regional Last Chance Qualifiers.

The reigning world champion, Acend, failed to qualify, and a new champion will also be crowned in Istanbul! All eyes will be on Masters Copenhagen winners FunPlus Phoenix and Masters Reykjavik 2022 champions OpTic Gaming. Both are heavy favorites to win it all.

What is VALORANT?

This will not be too relevant for most of you because, if you’re on this page, you’re already a fan of VALORANT. But, for the rest of you, this section will be the best place to start.

VALORANT is a 5v5 multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) where one team attacks and the other defends. Search and Destroys primary game mode is similar to CS: GO. The attacking team’s goal is to plant a bomb (called a spike) and have it detonate while the defending team tries to avoid it. The opposing squad will win if a squad is wiped out before any other victory condition is met.

What is the VALORANT Champions Istanbul?

Valorant Champions Istanbul is the third and final event of the VCT 2022 season. It is the biggest VALORANT event of the year. The culminating tournament of the season that everyone has been working for; becoming the best VALORANT team in the world.

The tournament features 16 best Valorant teams from North America, EMEA, Latin America, East Asia, and the Asia Pacific. The competition itself is split into two different stages: the Group Stage, which follows the GSL tournament style, then the knockout stage, which features a double elimination style bracket.

ESports: Valorant Champions 2022 Odds and Overview
Source Riot Games

The Group Stage will run from August 31st to September 8th, with a one-day break on September 6th. Teams are split into four groups of four. Each group then plays out a GSL-style bracket. In the first round, the #1 seed in each group plays the #4 seed, while #2 and #3 do the same. The winning teams compete for the group’s top seed, while the losers play to avoid elimination. The two remaining teams then fight for the group’s lower seed. All matches are played with a best of three series.

The double elimination playoff bracket picks up the next day on September 9th. The results will pit top seeds from the group stage against lower seeds in the first round. After five more days of matches, only four teams will remain, and the tournament will break on September 14th and 15th. The winning four teams will play the last four matches from the 16th to the 18th. After that, the Lower Bracket and Grand Finals will feature the best of five series to decide VALORANT’s new Champion.

It is still unknown what the prize money will be for this year’s version of the tournament, but based on last year’s winnings ($1,000,000), we should expect a figure around $500,000 or even more.

ESports: Valorant Champions 2022 Odds and Overview
Source Riot Games

What is a GSL-Style Tournament?

The GSL-style format takes a significant influence from double elimination brackets. The first two games play out, with the winning team going to the winner’s VALORANT Champions bracket and the losing team to the losers’ bracket. Teams competing in a GSL-style group have three attempts to qualify out of the group. Pick up two wins, and you’re in. Pick up two losses, and you suffer elimination.

Teams playing and their schedule

Every team playing will start the tournament in the group stage schedule. Not a single team will be seeded directly to the playoffs, giving it a more even playing field.

ESports: Valorant Champions 2022 Odds and Overview
Source Riot Games
North America
  • OpTic Gaming
  • XSET
  • 100 Thieves
EMEA (Europe)
  • FunPlus Phoenix
  • Fnatic
  • Team Liquid
APAC (Asia Pacific)
  • Paper Rex
  • XERXIA Esports
  • BOOM Esports
Korea
  • DRX
Japan
  • Zeta Division
Latin America
  • Leviatan
  • KRU
  • LOUD
  • FURIA Esports
East Asia
  • Edward Gaming

Group Stage Schedule

Group A
  • Paper Rex vs. Edward Gaming (August 31st, 10 AM ET)
  • Leviatán vs. Team Liquid (August 31st, 1 PM ET)
Group B
  • ZETA Division vs. LOUD (September 1st, 8 AM ET)
  • OpTic Gaming vs. BOOM Esports (September 1st, 11 AM ET)
Group C
  • XSET vs. XERXIA (September 3rd, 8 AM ET)
  • FunPlus Phoenix vs KRÜ Esports (September 3rd, 11 AM ET)
Group D
  • DRX vs. FURIA Esports (September 2nd, 8 AM ET)
  • Fnatic vs. 100 Thieves (September 2nd, 11 AM ET)

Esports Betting Tips

The tournament that every fan and player has been waiting for, the VALORANT Champions Istanbul, has begun. With no bad team in the field, everyone can knock each other out, and the winners are hard to predict. This is why we will be providing you with some insight on the  VALORANT Champions 2022 odds along with some ESports betting tips. Below will be our best bet, the best value, and the underdog, along with their odds according to the sportsbooks.

Best Bet: FunPlus Phoenix (+300)

FunPlus Phoenix will enter the Champions 2022 event as the reigning VCT Masters Copenhagen champions after they defeated Paper Rex 3-2 in the grand final, helping them maintain their no.1 regional ranking. FPX has been the top-ranked European team in Valorant since April of this year.

The VCT Master’s win in Copenhagen was outstanding, even though they missed Andrey “Shao” Kiprsky for half of the tournament due to visa issues. In Group C with KRU Esports, XSET, and XERXIA, there should be minimal challenges for FPX to get out of their group.

Best Value: OpTic Gaming (+400)

OpTic Gaming finished in third place at the VCT Masters Copenhagen after FunPlus Phoenix knocked them out in the lower bracket final. OpTic went into the Copenhagen event as one of the favored teams after they had won the VCT Masters in Reykjavik in April of this year, but they fell short of back-to-back VCT Masters wins.

Considering the short history of Valorant and its esports scene, it is pretty crazy that a team could be so successful, but OpTic Gaming has done just that. Given they won the first VCT Masters and finished third in the second event, OpTic will be very hard to beat in Istanbul.

Underdogs: KRU Esports (+3300)

KRU Esports is an Argentine organization focused on content creation, intending to bring gaming and esports to a broader audience. The organization was founded by world-renowned football star, and Manchester City legend Sergio Agüero. The former player is set on helping to connect the traditional and virtual sports scenes.

Considering how young a team they are, KRU esports could be a force to reckon with. However, they have pulled their fair share of upsets along the way to the Champions Istanbul 2022. Despite their low odds, they could still be an underdog to watch and be an incredible value.

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