Riot Games Announce VCT Masters 2 Copenhagen And Champions Istanbul

Riot Games has officially revealed the locations of the VALORANT Champions Tour Stage 2 Masters and Champions, as the esports calendar reaches its pinnacle.

The final two live events of the season will see Europe host all of the best teams from around the globe, following on from the first Masters in Reykjavik. Masters 1 saw OpTic Gaming take home the spoils, continuing the trend of a new international champion at every event in the VCT's two seasons so far, having seen Sentinels win in the first-ever LAN back in Season 1, followed by Gambit Esports in Masters 3 Berlin and the reigning World Champions Acend being victorious in the same setting at Champions.

Now, Acend's Mehmet "cNed" Yağız İpek will be looking to qualify for Champions again for the chance to retain the trophy on home turf, as Riot Games have revealed that the VCT Champions will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, following the Stage 2 Masters in Copenhagen, Denmark.

VCT Stage 2 Masters To Be Held In Copenhagen

Click to enlarge

Coming up first will be the VCT Stage 2 Masters in Copenhagen, Denmark, where teams are already fighting for their seat on the plane. The qualified teams will then be taking to the Danish capital on July 10-24, as they look to get their hands on a share of the $675,000 prize pool and crucial circuit points for Champions Qualification.

Masters 2, Copenhagen, is set to be played in front of a live crowd for the first time in VALORANT history, barring any coronavirus pandemic setbacks. Interestingly, Riot has recently looked to sharpen the player restrictions for MSI 2022, but has reiterated that they intend to have Masters 2 played before fans.

VCT Champions To Be Held In Istanbul

Following the release of the Turkish Bounty Hunter, Fade, Riot Games' foreshadowing has been spot-on again, as the culmination of VALORANT esports' greatest sides will be flying to Istanbul, Turkey, to compete in VCT Champions 2022.

The 16 teams (ten qualified teams through the VCT Tour Regional Circuit and six regional Last Chance Qualifiers winners) will fight it out for a chance to hoist the Season 2 trophy above their heads on September 2-18 before partying in the streets of Istanbul.

"Our goal is to see our biggest international events played in front of a live audience and both of these cities provided clear pathways towards this goal, while also providing the best possible guarantee that all qualified teams will be able to safely attend and compete," said Riot Games.

Details of the exact venues and live audiences will be revealed in a later update.