With Masters Berlin only a handful of days away, the announcement for the grand finale of the VCT season should bring relief to teams that were unsure of where the world finals would take place. In an announcement on the Valorant Champions Tour website, Berlin has been chosen as the tour location for both events to conclude Valorant’s competitive season taking place at Valorant Champions Berlin.

According to the website, “Champions is the end-of-year final, assembling the top teams from around the world to compete for the title of Valorant world champion. Running from 2-12 December, the event will feature 16 teams, 12 who will qualify through their performance during the regular season, while the other four will be selected via the Last Chance Qualifiers taking place in October.”

Currently, three times have already secured their slot for Champions. These teams are Sentinels (NA), KRÜ Esports (LATAM), and X10 Esports (SEA). Slots are still open for multiple regions, which makes Masters an important event for some teams trying to avoid last chance qualifiers for their region. 

Some speculated the event would be taking place in Los Angeles, but Berlin is a better choice due to the global pandemic, as explained by Riot in their announcement. “While our initial intention was to host each of our international events in a different region, we had to re-evaluate our plans as COVID-19 related complications began to increase.”

Having both events in Berlin reduces risks for teams currently trying to secure visas to compete. Sadly, Bren Esports from the SEA region were unable to secure a visa. Now that Champions has been announced for Berlin, and assuming that last chance qualifiers will be hosted onsite in Berlin after Masters, Bren Esports has the opportunity to re-apply for visas and make it to Champions to compete should they qualify.

This decision to host Valorant Champions 2021 in Berlin is a good one as it will give teams ample time to plan and make travel arrangements. Tournament organizers, admins, and staff should also be relieved. Berlin will now serve as a competitive hub for two events, allowing them to prepare for Valorant Champions ahead of time. Hopefully, no other obstacles pop up so both events can happen smoothly for the safety of teams and tournament staff.