When VALORANT Episode Nine launches, the top Premier players and teams will have the opportunity to compete in the new Invite Division, which represents the first stepping stone to going pro and qualifying for regional VCT Challengers leagues.
Since Premier’s inception, Riot Games has said its endgame goal for the seasonal, scheduled competitive mode is for it to serve as the primary path for players to reach VCT Challengers leagues. With the launch of Invite Division, and with a plethora of new changes to Premier that facilitate easier promotion, the path to pro in VALORANT is now open.
How to qualify for VCT Challengers through Premier
To qualify for promotion into a regional VCT Challengers league, a VALORANT Premier team needs to perform well in the Invite Division, or at the very least finish in the top two in the respective regional Contender Division. Playoff results will be the main factor in determining Invite Division standings, with Premier Score, number of weekly matches played, and weekly round differentials serving as tiebreakers.
To qualify for the Invite Division, teams will have to win the Contender Division playoffs. But to grow the Invite Division’s numbers early on, the top 32 Contender Division teams during Episode Eight, Act Three will also be promoted into Invite Division.
Contender and Invite Division requirements
Players must be declared “Contender Eligible” to compete in either Contender or Invite Division. To become Contender Eligible, players must either
- Play a weekly match in Contender or Invite,
- Play a playoff match in the Elite Five division, or
- Play a competitive match ranked Immortal Three or higher.
Which VCT Challengers league do I qualify for?
Here are the VCT Challengers leagues and the Premier zones that feed into them, with each zone consisting of one or several location-based “gamepods.”
| VCT Challengers League | Premier Zone | Location-based Gamepod |
|---|---|---|
| North America | U.S. East | Ashburn, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta |
| North America | U.S. West | Oregon, Dallas, Chicago, Northern California |
| Brazil | Brazil | São Paulo |
| LATAM North | LATAM North | Mexico City, Miami, LATAM Chicago |
| LATAM South | LATAM South | Santiago, Bogota |
| DACH (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) | DACH | Frankfurt |
| Northern Europe | Northern Europe | London, Stockholm |
| Portugal | IBIT | Madrid |
| Spain | IBIT | Madrid |
| Italy | IBIT | Madrid |
| France | France | Paris |
| Eastern Europe | Eastern Europe | Warsaw |
| Turkey | Turkey | Istanbul |
| MENA (Middle East, North Africa) | Middle East | Bahrain |
| Japan | Japan | Tokyo |
| South Korea | South Korea | Seoul |
| South Asia | South Asia | Mumbai |
| Malaysia & Singapore | Asia | Singapore, Hong Long |
| Indonesia | Asia | Singapore, Hong Long |
| Thailand | Asia | Singapore, Hong Long |
| Vietnam | Asia | Singapore, Hong Long |
| Philippines | Asia | Singapore, Hong Long |
| Hong Kong & Taiwan | Asia | Singapore, Hong Long |
| Oceania | Oceania | Sydney |
Teams that are eligible to be promoted out of the Invite Division and into a regional VCT Challengers league will be contacted by Riot and provided with further details.
Invite Division officially goes live at the start of Episode Nine.
