After an initial delay caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the VALORANT Champions Tour EMEA Stage 1 Challengers schedule for this weekend has been updated. The first match between BBL Esports and SuperMassive Blaze will take place at 10 a.m. EST on Saturday.
“VCT EMEA returns this weekend with three matches,” the official VCT EMEA twitter account posted. Other matches include G2 Esports vs. Acend at 1 p.m. EST and LDN UTD vs. Team Liquid at 11 a.m. EST on Sunday.
The Week 3 matches, that were initially delayed after Russian began its invasion of the Ukraine on Feb. 24, will be played with Week 5 matches from March 11-13. There will be no watch parties for Week 4.
“After this weekend, our current plan is to create a dual broadcast that will see Week 3 games played concurrently with the previously scheduled Week 5 matches,” reads a statement from Riot Games. “We are also building a plan to schedule the postponed matches from Week 4.”
VCT EMEA schedule to continue on March 5
Gambit Esports, a Russian organization, have had their match rescheduled for March 11. Six matches are currently scheduled for the weekend of March 12. The full schedule can be reviewed on the official VALORANT esports site.
“We’re aware that some teams are facing uncertainty regarding if they can continue competing in VCT EMEA with their current starting rosters,” reads Riot Games statement on Friday. “Our Competitive Operations Teams are in close communications with these teams, and are exploring potential adjustments to the League’s regulations that will help them navigate through the coming weeks. We will provide updates as soon as we can, but please be aware that further adjustments may be necessary if the situation changes.”
While tournament organizers from other esports have moved to uninvite or ban Russian teams and organizations from events, Riot has yet to make an announcement regarding its stance on Russian teams participating in VALORANT events. Russian players currently make up 21% of the VALORANT Champions Tour in Europe, including players like Guild Esports’ Nikita “trexx“ Cherednichenko.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had a major impact on Ukrainian people and the rest of the world. Thousands of Ukrainians are currently trying to flee the country while the fighting continues to ravage major cities.
