China's inclusion could introduce a new international league to the VCT.
The VCT LOCK//IN starts later today at the Ginásio do Ibirapuera indoor sporting arena in São Paulo. For the first international VCT LAN for the year, it brings together 32 invited teams from three of the VCT's major regions, which also includes two Chinese teams.
These 32 teams will play in a single-elimination bracket for the next two weeks with a 500,00 USD prize pool on the line. On top of that, the winner of the VCT LOCK/IN will walk away with 100,000 USD while its region will get an additional slot in Masters 2023.
And with 30 teams coming from three of the VCT's franchised regions, China gets two invited slots in the form of, EDward Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix. Of course, this isn't their first rodeo.
Both teams took part in Champions 2022 last year with FPX finishing in fourth whilst EDG failed to make it past the group stage. FPX was also the winner of the Stage 2 Masters in Copenhagen where they defeated Paper Rex in the grand finals. With their inclusion at this year's VCT LOCK//IN, I'm sure we can expect to see more Chinese teams in future tournaments.
And according to Esports.GG, Even Leo Faria, the Global Head of VALORANT Esports, had a few things to say about China and the VCT as a whole during the VCT LOCK//IN press conference.
We are so excited about China. We just got the license for VALORANT, that we have been waiting for a few years now. It is one of the largest gaming markets in the world... We're building a plan for competitions in China right now. We still don't exactly how it will take shape, but of course we want to welcome China into the VCT. There's a good chance they will become the fourth IL (International League) of the VCT in the future.
Leo Faria, Global Head of VALORANT Esports
This will be a big boost for the region, which is known for its large talent pool. Whether it be traditional sports or esports, China has always been known to churn out exceptional talent. The nation is known for its dominance in the esports scene like League of Legends and hopefully soon, another Riot title in VALORANT.
FunPlus Phoenix will kick off their VCT LOCK//IN run against Karmine Corp on February 15, 1.00 am UTC+8. As for EDward Gaming, they will play their first match against 100 Thieves on February 24 at 7.00 am. It will be a best-of-three, single-elimination bracket.
