The Valorant Champions Tour Masters Madrid will be the first international event of the Valorant season, where the best eight teams in the world will compete to take home the first piece of international silverware of the year.
As the VCT Masters Madrid will be different from the previous editions of the tournament, you must understand the format for the competition.
Here’s everything you need to know about the VCT Masters Madrid!
VCT Masters Madrid - Team Guides
We have written some team guides for the VCT Masters Madrid teams so you know more about their rosters!
VCT Masters Madrid - Dates
The VCT Masters Madrid will occur in Spain from Mar. 14 to Mar. 24.
This will be the first VCT Masters since the VCT Masters Tokyo, which took place in Japan from Jun. 11 to Jun. 25 of 2023.
Back then, the format used was a bit more complicated. Moreover, there were 12 qualified teams instead of the current eight.
Back then, Fnatic won the tournament after defeating Evil Geniuses by 3-0. Paper Rex was the best Asian team in the competition, as the roster from the Pacific League finished in third place. Meanwhile, the only roster from the Americas League, LOUD, finished in the Top 8.
VCT Masters Madrid - Format
The VCT Masters Madrid will be divided into two stages: the Swiss Stage and the Playoffs.
Swiss Stage
The Swiss Stage will be played from Mar. 14 to Mar. 18. In this phase, teams will have to obtain three victories to qualify for the Playoffs. A roster will be sent home after three defeats.
Playoffs
After the conclusion of the Swiss Stage, the best four teams will move to the Playoffs. This stage of the competition follows a double-elimination bracket format.
Here are the official dates for each stage of the bracket:
Mar. 21
March 21 will see the teams facing off in the Upper Bracket (UB) quarterfinals. The winners will move to the UB semifinals, while the losers will drop to the Lower Bracket (LB) quarterfinals.
Mar. 22
Two matches will be played on Mar. 22: the UB semifinals and the LB quarterfinals. The winner of the UB semifinals will move to the Grand Final, while the loser of the LB quarterfinals will be sent home.
Mar. 23
On Mar. 23, the two teams in the LB semifinals will meet and the winner will move to the tournament's Grand Final.
Mar. 24
Finally, the Grand Final will take place on Mar. 24.
VCT Masters Madrid - Teams
The VCT Masters Madrid will have eight teams in total. To qualify for the VCT Masters Madrid, the best teams in the world will have to finish inside the Top 2 of their respective top-flight division.
Following LOUD and Sentinels' victories against Evil Geniuses and NRG, respectively, the two remaining spots to compete in the VCT Masters Madrid were awarded. Here's every team that will compete later this month in Spain!
VCT Americas
LOUD
The Brazilian-majority squad qualified for the VCT Masters Madrid after defeating Evil Geniuses in the VCT Americas Kickoff Playoffs. The team will play for the region's first seed against Sentinels on Mar. 3.
LOUD's best result at a VCT Masters came in Reykjavík, Iceland, when the team finished in second place after a harsh defeat against OpTic Gaming in Apr. 2022.
Sentinels
Sentinels have qualified for a VCT Masters for the first time since the organization's Top 8 finish at the VCT Masters Berlin. The team sneaked into the VCT Masters Madrid after an unexpected victory against NRG in the VCT Americas 2024 Kickoff playoffs.
In Madrid, the team will try to replicate their best result at any VCT Masters, which came on Mar. 30, 2021, as they defeated Fnatic in Reykjavík's grand final.
VCT Pacific
Gen.G
Gen.G qualified for the VCT Masters Madrid after defeating DRX in the VCT Pacific 2024 Kickoff playoffs. Furthermore, the South Korean roster upset Paper Rex in the tournament grand finals, as they beat the Valorant Champions 2023 finalists by 3-1.
The VCT Masters Madrid will be Gen.G's first VCT Masters since moving to the VCT Pacific in Sep. 2021.
Paper Rex
Despite finishing in second place in their region, Paper Rex are the favorites to win the VCT Masters Madrid. The team's best result at any VCT Masters came in Copenhagen, in Jul. 2022, as the Singaporean organization lost to FunPlush Phoenix in the grand final.
VCT EMEA
Karmine Corp
Karmine Corp took EMEA's first seed after a 3-1 victory in the region's grand finals against Team Heretics. It will be the French organization's debut at the VCT Masters.
Team Heretics
Team Heretics has been one of the upsets in Europe as the Spanish organization was expected to be around the bottom places in the competition. Against all of the odds, the black roster qualified for the VCT Masters Madrid as they will be able to play in front of the organization's home crowd.
VCT China
EDward Gaming
EDward Gaming took China's first seed in Madrid after a 3-1 victory against FunPlus Phoenix. The team heads as one of the favorites to win in Spain as they proved to be consistent through 2023 following two Top 6 finishes at the VCT Masters Tokyo and the Valorant Champions 2023.
FunPlus Phoenix
Although FunPlus Phoenix eventually got VCT China's second seed, the result could have been different as two of EDward Gaming's maps were overtime victories.
The Chinese roster is one of the big favorites to win in Madrid. The organization is the only one to have won a VCT Masters in the past, as they won the edition held in Copenhagen back in Jul. 2022.
VCT Masters Madrid - Location and venue
As its name indicates, the tournament will be held in Madrid, Spain. The venue chosen for the competition is the Madrid Arena, which has a capacity of 12,000 people.
VCT Masters Madrid - Drops
The VCT Masters Madrid will have special drops for the people who watch the games. To be able to get the rewards, make sure to watch the matches on Twitch from Mar. 14 to Mar. 24.
However, you will have to first link your Twitch account to Riot. Here's how to do it!
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