Valorant Champions 2023 is set to start in just a few days as the best teams from the international leagues and China will meet in Los Angeles to battle for the top prize and the title of world champion.
Following the success of the two previous Valorant Champions events in Germany and Turkey, Riot Games has upped the ante for 2023. Riot set the world championship in LA to end the first year of the partnered league format.
Sixteen teams from EMEA, the Americas, the Pacific, and China will take to the stage at this season-ending championship, marking North America’s first international Valorant event. The game has become massively popular in the region thanks to teams like Sentinels, OpTic, and 100 Thieves. Fans are expected to flock to Los Angeles to watch the matches in person, as tickets have mostly sold out!
Here is everything you need to know about the Valorant Champions 2023 season-ending tournament!
Participating Teams
Valorant Champions has 16 slots divided across the three International Leagues and China. Each international league sends three representatives from their respective regions—an additional team from each league qualified by winning the Last Chance Qualifier.
The three teams from China competed in a qualifier as well. The final slot goes to the region that won Masters Tokyo. EMEA earned themselves a fifth slot with another FNATIC victory.
Here are the teams locked in for Champions and their esports betting odds to win!
| Team | Odds *Last Updated: 8/2/2023 |
|---|---|
| Fnatic | +110 |
| Paper Rex | +300 |
| Evil Geniuses | +450 |
| NRG | +700 |
| LOUD | +700 |
| EDward Gaming | +1200 |
| Team Liquid | +1800 |
| DRX | +2500 |
| Natus Vincere | +3300 |
| FUT Esports | +7500 |
| Giants Gaming | +10000 |
| KRU Esports | +10000 |
| T1 | +15000 |
| ZETA | +15000 |
| Bilibili Gaming | +30000 |
| FunPlus Phoenix | +50000 |
Groups
Riot Games split the teams into four groups based on their Valorant ranks from their regions:
Group A
- Paper Rex (Pacific)
- KRÜ Esports (Americas)
- EDward Gaming (China)
- Giants (EMEA)
Group B
- Evil Geniuses (Americas)
- FunPlus Phoenix (China)
- FUT Esports (EMEA)
- T1 (Phoenix)
Group C
- Fnatic (EMEA)
- ZETA DIVISION (Pacific)
- NRG (Americas)
- Bilibili Gaming (China)
Group D
- Team Liquid (EMEA)
- Natus Vincere (EMEA)
- DRX (Pacific)
- LOUD (Americas)
Valorant Champions 2023 Schedule and Format
Champions 2023 will take place from August 6th through 26th. This will be about two months after Masters Tokyo and after the international leagues’ LCQ tournaments. The event will be held across two locations, with the earlier rounds at the Shrine Auditorium and the latter stages moving to the Kia Forum.
You can find all the dates and locations below:
- Group Stage: August 6-13
- Bracket Stage: August 16-20
- Top Four Finals: August 24-26
Group Stage
- 16 teams split into four double-elimination groups
- Top 2 teams from each group advance to playoffs.
- All matches are BO3.
Playoffs
- Eight teams in a double-elimination bracket.
- Teams from the same group are placed on opposite sides of the bracket.
- All games are Bo3, except the lower bracket final and the grand final.
- The lower bracket final and grand final will be played in a Bo5 format.
Top Teams to Watch
Going into the Valorant Champions 2023, Fnatic, Paper Rex, and Evil Geniuses are the favorites to win. Fnatic has had a historic year and can add to that with a win in LA. However, while they have the best odds to win, there are other teams to watch regarding esports betting. Those three teams are EDward Gaming, DRX, and Team Liquid.
EDward Gaming
The surprise of Masters Tokyo, EDward Gaming has surpassed expectations from everyone. Not only did the team have great Valorant stats with their run in Japan, but the squad also showed that they still have more gas left in the tank in the China Qualifier.
Zheng ‘ZmjjKK’ Yongkang had the highest average damage and kills at Masters Tokyo and continued that form into the Champions China Qualifier. However, the team is more than just ZmjjKK. Other groups will try to avoid him either or slow him down to defeat this EDG squad. It’s hard not to argue that EDG is a dark horse to win the tournament.
DRX
DRX is not coming into Valorant Champions on a hot streak. The Korean powerhouse looked uncomfortable on the international stage at Masters Tokyo after a great VCT Pacific split and playoff run.
The team has had a lot of time to figure out their issues for the world championship, but the squad can’t be ranked much higher without showcasing that they’ve found their regular season form again.
Team Liquid
EMEA’s second-best team, Team Liquid, is the last squad on this list. The squad was seeded directly into the playoff stage at Masters Tokyo and bombed out of the event after three matches. The team managed to hold off a surging EDG in a 2-1 victory but quickly fell to Evil Geniuses and then NRG Esports.
This version of Team Liquid, led by Igor ‘Redgar’ Vlasov, looks more committed than previous iterations and has the firepower and strategic insight to take down Fnatic. The likelihood of this squad rebounding from that elimination to make a deep run in LA should be very high.
For esports betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
Follow us on Twitter
