Instead of being automatically relegated, Ascension teams will work under a performance-based extension system.
VALORANT publisher Riot Games will be introducing improvements to the game’s Challengers League in 2025 by removing automatic relegations for Ascension teams, hosting more tournaments, and creating a direct connection between VALORANT Premier and Challengers.
The most impactful change is arguably the removal of automatic relegations for Ascension teams in lieu of a new performance-based extension system.
In the current VALORANT Challengers ecosystem, each region hosts an ‘Ascension’ tournament for its Challengers teams where the Top 2 finishers are granted spots in their respective VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) leagues. However, those Ascension teams can only stay for a certain term before being automatically relegated back to Challengers.
But come next year, Ascension teams will be able to extend their stays in the VCT with strong performances based on their performances. Depending on their VCT results, Ascension winners will either extend their term in the leagues, fight for their right to stay, or be relegated.
Ascension teams that finish in the Top 4 of their respective leagues and qualify for VALORANT Champions will automatically extend their term for another year. If both Ascension teams in a region make it to Champions, then the team with the best performance there will extend their stay while the other will have the option to compete at Ascension for their spot.
Should an Ascension team finish in the bottom four of their league and fail to make it to Stage 2 Playoffs, they will be relegated back to Challengers. If both Ascension teams end up relegated, then two new teams will be brought up from Challengers.
Alongside the above changes, the standard term length for an Ascension team in the VCT has been changed to one year.
New Challengers tournaments for each region
Riot has also announced that they are also working on hosting a new Challengers tournament series that will bring together top Challengers and Premier teams. This new Challengers tournament series is planned for Fall this year and each region's Challengers League will host its own unique event.
Riot said in a press release that the new tournament series is aimed at “addressing the gap between Ascension and the start of the following year's Challengers season.”
Direct pipeline from Premier to Challengers
Finally, Riot is completing its “Path to Pro” project for the VALORANT esports scene by creating a direct connection between VALORANT Premier and the Challengers League.
First launched in August 2023, VALORANT Premier was a team-based competitive system that aimed to provide better competition and a career stepping stone for aspiring VALORANT professional players.
The previously-announced Invite Division for Premier will complete the final step for Path to Pro and ensure aspiring teams will always have the opportunity to advance further up the ladder.
As such, the winners of Premier’s Invite Divisions will always have the chance to compete with existing Challengers teams for a spot in the league. Teams from Premier will be brought up to compete in Challengers every two Acts.
Riot says the above changes to Challengers are an affirmation of the publisher’s continued dedication to “building an aspirational, accessible, and sustainable Path to Pro” in VALORANT.
“Challenger Leagues are essential to our ecosystem, offering players the chance to hone their skills and build their recognition to realize their dreams. This year, over 50 players graduated into the International Leagues from the Tier 2 ecosystem, demonstrating that Challenger Leagues continue to provide the best pathway to the VCT.”