The VALORANT Champions Tour 2022 Stage 1 Masters in Reykjavík, the first international VCT event for the year, starts in April. Teams from all over the world have officially qualified for the event, with some getting to skip the group stage entirely. Even without a crowd, with every single previous VALORANT international winner not making it to Reykjavík, new international kings will get their crown.
The teams that made it to Reykjavík
To start, here is a full rundown of each team that is battling for the title of best VALORANT team in the world. The order for each region is their seed, which does matter for the updated format in 2022.
North America teams:
- The Guard
- OpTic Gaming
Europe, Middle East and Africa teams:
- G2 Esports
- Fnatic
- Team Liquid
This seeding is after the removal of FunPlus Phoenix, who originally finished top of the EMEA region but had to forfeit due to international travel issues.
Asia-Pacific teams:
- Paper Rex
- XERXIA
Brazil teams:
- LOUD
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
LOUD finished top of Brazil to qualify, while NiP fought and beat Latin America team Leviatán to get their spot in Masters 1.
Latin America team:
- KRÜ Esports
Japan team:
- XETA Division
Korea team:
- DRX
The format for Masters 1
The entire Masters 1 tournament has two parts. First off is the group stage, where eight teams split into two groups of four will fight to make it to the elimination round. Two teams from each group will qualify, while the other two from each group will be eliminated. Five matches per group will be played, with the first two matches determining who plays in the winner’s match. After the elimination and decider matches, we will know who will make it to the elimination stage.
The one significant change from previous international tournaments is how regional seeding determines each team’s position. For top seeds in the four regions with multiple teams who qualified (NA, EMEA, APAC and Brazil) skip the group stage. This means The Guard, G2 Esports, Paper Rex and LOUD have a guaranteed top-eight finish and will face a group stage team in the first round of the double-elimination bracket.
After that change though, standard double-elimination rules apply, with each team able to lose once before another loss would knock them out.
How to watch Masters 1 Reykjavík
The event will be broadcast live on the official VALORANT Twitch channel, YouTube channel and on the VALORANT esports website. Each will include the gameplay and commentary throughout the event.
The official dates and times have yet to be announced, but this post will be updated as they are. Along with teams Sentinels, Acend and Masters 3 Champions, all previous international champions are not at Masters 1 for 2022. So, not only will there be a new Masters Reykjavík champion, but will mark themselves as the VCT team to beat in 2022.
