Riot Games announced the list of VALORANT partnership teams for the 2023 International Leagues. There will be a total of 30 teams competing in 3 international leagues.
Here is the list of partnered teams competing in each VCT international league for 2023.
Americas
- Sentinels
- 100 Thieves
- Cloud9
- NRG
- Evil Geniuses
- FURIA
- LOUD
- MIBR
- KRÜ Esports
- Leviatán
EMEA
- FNATIC
- Team Liquid
- Team Vitality
- Karmine Corp
- Team Heretics
- Giants
- NAVI
- FUT Esports
- BBL Esports
- KOI
Pacific
- ZETA DIVISION
- DetonatioN Gaming
- Gen.G
- T1
- DRX
- Team Secret
- Paper Rex
- Rex Regum Qeon
- Talon Esports
- Global Esports
The teams will compete without risk of relegation, and each team will also receive an estimated six-figure funding to support their rosters.
In their official announcement, Riot Games shared the three criteria they set in the search for partnership:
- Organizations who share our values of always putting fans first, celebrate our diverse community, and are committed to supporting pros
- Organizations who have created a strong connection with fans through engaging content, a compelling brand, and an exciting roster
- Organizations that build for the long-term, with a focus on sustainability
Riot Games also stated that they respect the teams’ past achievements, that was not at the forefront of the decisions. Riot also added that instead of success, the organization is more focused on making VCT more attractive to fans in the future.
There are some impressive and successful teams that couldn’t make it to the list, such as Masters champions OpTic Gaming and FPX. G2 Esports, FaZe Clan, TSM, The Guard, and XSET are also notable teams that couldn’t get a partnership.
Other teams will have a chance to join these top leagues in subsequent years through Ascension tournaments. With over 20 Challengers leagues to be held across the world, the teams that win their region will try to get a spot to play in the international leagues through Ascension tournaments.
