Images: Riot Games
Can a Chinese team become world champions in the just the first year of the Chinese league?
With just half a month to go before VALORANT Champions 2024 kicks off on August 1 in Seoul and Incheon, South Korea, more and more teams have claimed their spots in this year's VALORANT world championship tournament.
Representing the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Chinese League will be 
EDward Gaming (EDG), 
FunPlus Phoenix (FPX), 
Trace Esports, and 
Bilibili Gaming (BLG). All four teams punched their tickets to South Korea by finishing in the Top 4 of the EMEA League's ongoing Stage 2 Playoffs.
Here's how the EMEA League's representatives each found their way to VALORANT Champions 2024:
EDward Gaming
EDG have been far and away the most dominant team in the inaugural season of the Chinese league, and it's no surprise that they were the first team from the league to qualify for this year's VALORANT Champions.
They started the season by claiming the championship of the VCT China Kickoff in February then followed that up with a Top 6 finish in Masters Madrid in March. In the Stage 1 Group Stage, they topped Group Alpha with a 5-1 record before going on to claim the Stage 1 championship in the Playoffs.
But while EDG have clearly been the top dogs of China, they have struggled against international competition. Despite playing on their home turf in Masters Shanghai last month, EDG only managed a 7th-8th place finish after getting knocked out in the first round of the Playoffs.
EDG only managed a 2-2 record in the Stage 2 Group Stage, though it was still enough for them to take the top spot in the overall standings with a 7-3 record and a direct bye to the upper bracket semifinals in the Playoffs. EDG defeated BLG, 2-1, to lock up a Top 3 finish and a spot in VALORANT Champions.
EDG are likely to go on to win the Stage 2 championship for China, but their sights are surely set on this year's world championship tournament. It's going to be an uphill battle for the Chinese teams to claim victory in this year's VALORANT Champions in just the first year of their league, and EDG currently stands as China's biggest hope.
FunPlus Phoenix
FPX were squarely the second best team in the Chinese league this season. It's not a bad position to be in at all, but they surely would like to step out of EDG's shadow and aspire to greater things in VALORANT Champions.
FPX started the year by finishing second in the China Kickoff, though like EDG they also struggled against international competition and finished 7th-8th in Masters Madrid. FPX once again finished behind EDG in the China Stage 1 Playoffs and had another disappointing showing against other regions by finishing just 9th-10th in Masters Shanghai.
FPX earned a direct bye to the upper bracket semifinals of the Stage 2 Playoffs after finishing second in the league's overall standings. However, they were upset by Trace and will have to fight through the lower bracket if they hope to usurp EDG as the top team in China.
A spot in VALORANT Champions is a welcome consolation for FPX as the top spot in their league continues to elude them. But their sights are set for greater things, first by taking the crown in China and hopefully bringing the region its first world championship. It remains to be seen if they will be able to do that.
Trace Esports
While EDG and FPX battled for the top spot in the Chinese league all season long, Trace were lurking on the sidelines hoping for a chance to prove themselves worthy of being considered as contenders. Having earned a spot in this year's VALORANT Champions, Trace now have an opportunity to outshine their rivals.
Trace started the season by placing 3rd-4th in the China Kickoff then followed that up with a 4th place finish in the Stage 1 Playoffs. The team have stepped up their game in Stage 2 so far, improving on their 3-2 showing in the Stage 1 Group Stage by going 4-1 in the Stage 2 Group Stage and finishing third overall with a 7-3 record.
In the Stage 2 Playoffs so far, Trace swept All Gamers in the Knockout Round before knocking FPX down to the lower bracket in another 2-0 shutout.
Bilibili Gaming
BLG languished in the midfield throughout the season, but they managed to peak at just the right time to bag the fourth and final spot for China in this year's VALORANT Champions.
They started the year with a 5th place finish in the China Kickoff but performed worse in the Stage 1 Playoffs, only managing a 7th-8th placement. But in the Stage 2 Group Stage, BLG topped the standings in Group Alpha with a 3-1 record. Despite only managing a 2-4 standing in the Stage 1 Group Stage, their Stage 2 performance was enough for them to make the Playoffs.
BLG then bagged their spot in VALORANT Champions by sweeping JD Gaming in the Knockout Round.
