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The last stretch on the road to the world championship of VALORANT came to an end, after the last 6 slots for the highest fair of the Riot Games shooter were distributed in the Last Chance Qualifiers.
With dozens of squads from around the world looking to represent their region in the biggest tournament of the year, VALORANT Champions Istanbul will bring together the top 16 teams from across the competitive arena.
That is why we will now review each of the squads that will be part of this international event, and from among which a new monarch will rise in front of millions of spectators from the Turkish capital.
Starting with our own region and in an unprecedented way, Latin America will have 2 participating squads within the VALORANT Champions, these being both Leviathan and KRÜ Esports. Since the emergence of this competitive scene, both teams from the south stand out for being among the best and most consistent, but their path to the World Cup had different paths.
On the one hand, Leviatán managed to qualify for the Istanbul Champions by being the team with the most accumulated circuit points, this after winning the second Challengers tournament held in Argentina, and having been in the Top 6 of the Copenhagen Masters.
This brought with it several unforeseen changes, as KRÜ fell straight into the LCQ where they would have to earn their place against some of the best teams in Brazil and Latin America.
Fortunately, the experience and resilience of KRÜ was decisive in coming out victorious in this instance, since they would get the direct pass by finishing undefeated and passing over 3 Brazilian teams. With this, KRÜ also secured the feat of being the only team to qualify for all international events in VALORANT until now.
Now with both quotas secured, Leviatán and KRÜ Esports will be given the titanic task of repeating their best performances against the giants of Europe, Asia and the American continent, among which teams like OpTic Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix stand out.
One of the rivalries that took shape again was that of Latin America against Brazil, after their absence in the competitive tournaments of League of Legends. Thanks to the format established for 2022, the arduous battles between both regions turned into a frenzy of tension and emotions, while we watched as the best teams in the region disputed the last place in the Masters.
For this Champions League, LOUD will be the main person in charge of representing Brazil in Turkey, after their enormous feat of finishing as runners-up in the Masters in Iceland. Although this could not be repeated in Copenhagen as OpTic Gaming would see them out in the group stage, there is no doubt that the noise will be felt on the biggest stage again.
As for the second representative, FURIA was absent from both Masters this year, and yet this Brazilian outfit managed to blow past some of the top qualifiers from Latin America at the LCQ. Although on the way they would face KRU and then fall to them 3-0, FURIA got his redemption and the last ticket to South America by repeating this dose against TBK Esports, making his second consecutive appearance in the Champions effective.
We pass to the old continent in which 3 squads lead the bets to be the new world champions of VALORANT: FunPlus Phoenix, Fnatic and Team Liquid.
By far, the Phoenix squad is the one that is marked as the favorite to win the tournament, after their victory in Denmark in the final of the VALORANT Masters. Their dynamism and communication are determining points that made them a monster in the game, so they are expected to give their all to be the first to repeat first place, and thus be crowned the best team in the world.
The well-known Fnatic squad has become a regular guest at these events, but they always fall short of achieving something important, so Champions Istanbul will be their chance to redeem themselves.
Team Liquid closes this list by being the guest of the LCQ, after finishing fifth in the circuit, but surprising everyone by winning the quota against M3 Champions, which sets a good precedent for what will be their second world championship.
Back in the Americas, the longstanding rivalry between Europe and North America will experience another chapter with OpTic Gaming, XSET and 100 Thieves.
Despite having a short time in the competitive VALORANT, OpTic Gaming proved to be one of the most consistent teams throughout the 2022 season. This was thanks to both their repeat Challengers finals, as well as winning the Reykjavík Masters and placing third in Copenhagen. Without a doubt, OpTic will have the greatest hope of seeing a direct NA world champion.
XSET trail behind as the second best team in the region, and while their track point spread is quite wide, the fact that they finished in the Top 8 in Denmark makes it clear that they will be a strong contender in Istanbul.
On the other hand, 100 Thieves will make their debut in the Champions League after missing the Masters tournaments of the season, although they should not be underestimated if we remember the great role that led them to qualify in the LCQ, leaving in the way teams like FaZe and TheGuard.
If we go to the other side of the world, the Asian continent will bring us 6 teams that will seek to usurp the throne after what has been shown in recent tournaments.
As the representative of Southeast Asia, Paper Rex arrive as the main candidates from Asia to reach the playoffs, finishing as runners-up in Copenhagen, so they could bring us more surprises in Istanbul. XERXIA and Boom Esports accompany this squad being the debut of both in the Champions League, which leaves us with many unknowns about what will happen to them during the tournament.
DRX will complete its tournament scheme this 2022 by being the best team in South Korea, and although they always stay at the gates of the semifinals, they are expected to give a lot to talk about in this new international event. While from Japan, despite their absence at the Copenhagen Masters, ZETA DIVISION will represent the Japanese nation thanks to their consistency throughout the season, crowned by a third place finish at the Reykjavík Masters.
To close with the qualifiers, China will make its debut in the World Cup VALORANT together with Edward Gaming, a famous organization that in turn is the current champion of League of Legends. EDG proved to be the best Chinese team by getting the top rank in the FGC tournaments, then earning their spot by defeating some of the best from Japan and Korea in the LCQ.
Now that the teams are ready for what will be the second world championship of VALORANTit only remains to wait a few days for this international meeting to begin, which will bring a lot of action during the first half of September.
And for you, who is the favorite to win the VALORANT Champions Istanbul? Do you think the Latin teams will reach the final stage? Tell us in the comments.
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Images courtesy of RiotGames.
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