The first-ever VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) will soon reach its thrilling conclusion with VCT Champions Berlin taking place in just a few days. Players from all over the world will be competing for the title of 2021 VCT Champions. While there are certainly fan favorites to win the tournament, the trophy is all up for grabs for anyone who shows up in the clutch. Before VCT Champions Berlin kicks off in December, here's a guide to get you up to speed on the schedule, format, teams vying for the coveted crown and predictions for the matches ahead.
VALORANT Champions Tour 2021: Champions Berlin
VCT Champions Berlin – Schedule and Format
VCT Champions Berlin is divided into the group stage and playoffs stage, but both use the bracket type of tournament format. A total of 16 teams qualified for Champions, representing a mixed bag of regions and countries. These teams are now in four “groups” or four sides of a huge double elimination bracket—think of it as having the left and right side, upper and lower corners. Only eight teams can advance to the knockout stage, which will follow a single elimination format.
The first round of the groups bracket takes place from December 1 to 3. After that, the second round continues in the days after, alongside the lower bracket rounds. The team that wins through the first and second upper bracket round automatically secures a spot in the playoffs (basically two consecutive series wins). But teams can also go through a lower bracket run and will similarly need to pull off two series wins to book a trip to the knockouts.
This next stage will then begin on December 9, as teams duke it out depending on their playoff draws. At this point, teams that came from the same groups cannot be drawn against each other, so they'll be at opposite ends of the bracket. There's less room for error now, though, as not only are the matchups much tougher after the eliminations, but it only takes one series loss and you're out of VCT since there is no lower bracket in the knockouts.
All series played at will be best-of-threes except for the best-of-five Champions Finals in the playoffs stage. You can find the matchups for the first round of the VCT Champions Berlin group stage below.
| Group | First Round Matchup | Schedule |
| Group A | Vivo Keyd vs Acend | December 3 |
| X10 Esport vs Team Envy | December 3 | |
| Group B | FURIA vs Sentinels | December 2 |
| Team Liquid vs KRU Esports | December 2 | |
| Group C | Team Secret vs Gambit | December 2 |
| Crazy Raccoon vs Team Vikings | December 1 | |
| Group D | FULL SENSE vs Vision Strikers | December 1 |
| Cloud9 Blue vs Fnatic | December 1 |
VCT Champions Berlin – Team Preview and Predictions
Group A Team Preview
Predicted teams to qualify for playoffs: Acend and Team Envy
Both Acned and Team Envy are among the teams in the conversation for the top contenders at Champions Berlin. They also got a good group here and should be able to take care of business if all goes to expectations.
Acend definitely have the potential to challenge for the crown. At Masters Berlin, they made it to the playoffs, though lost to 100 Thieves in the quarterfinals stage. They ended up in the same rank as Sentinels (SEN) and Vision Strikers in that tournament, with SEN succumbing to Envy in the quarters. More recently, they were runners-up in an A-Tier, falling to TL, and then topped a B-Tier competition.
Similarly, Envy are looking like a very threatening side as of late, especially after the acquisition of Jett main Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker. Though the conversation has generally been centered on SEN, Envy aren't a team to discount, putting up impressive showings at Masters Berlin to become the second NA representatives at Champions.
Group B Team Preview
Predicted teams to qualify for playoffs: Sentinels and Team Liquid
Despite the quality of talent in FURIA and KRU Esports, it's hard to bet against Sentinels and Team Liquid (TL). Sentinels especially is one of the favorites coming into the tournament, though they did get swept by Envy at the Masters Berlin quarterfinals stage. Still, plenty of fans have high hopes for a roster featuring the likes of superstar Tyson “TenZ” Ngo, and I see no reason to burst that bubble. The team will likely advance to the knockouts smoothly, these squads won't be the ones to stand in SEN's way.
We can also expect TL to punch their ticket to the playoffs, having recently won some A-Tiers in quite convincing fashion. The brother duo of Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom and Nabil “Nivera” Benrlitom will be looking to pull the team through to the next stage and even go far in the knockouts. FURIA, I expect, will try their hardest to be a thorn in the side. But even then, TL have just been looking scary good lately and their potential to be the dark horse amid all the bets for Sentinels and Gambit is definitely up there.
Group C Team Preview
Predicted teams to qualify for playoffs: Gambit and Team Vikings
Barring a huge upset, there's very little doubt that Gambit will make it through to the knockout stage. After all, the EU side is also one of the top contenders that fans and analysts are expecting to take the crown. The burning question is who will join them?
Of the three remaining teams, it's a bit harder to judge who is the outright second best squad from the group. Team Secret from the Philippines has made quite an impressive miracle run to the international stage. Hailing from Brazil, meanwhile, Team Vikings has an exciting rising star in Gabriel “sutecas” Dias. But it's hard to discount the quality of Japanese org Crazy Raccoon, who has three Korean players in the squad. While Korea may not be dominating the VALORANT scene just yet, the Asian teams could definitely make a splash at Champions.
Each series between these three teams will definitely be close. Team Vikings made it until the third round of lower brackets in Masters Reykjavík, eventually losing 0-2 to TL. They went farther than Crazy Raccoon did, who crashed out in the first round of lower brackets. Crazy Raccoon had more recent S-Tier experience, though, falling 0-2 to Gambit in Masters Berlin after beating Brazilian side Havan Liberty 2-0. In contrast, Vikings' most recent tournaments were B-Tiers, but I still give them the slight edge in the end.
Group D Team Preview
Predicted teams to qualify for playoffs: Fnatic and Cloud9 Blue
Cloud9 (C9) Blue and Fnatic (FNC) are both top esports organizations, though they aren't clear-cut favorites to win Champions Berlin. However, both have players with high ceilings who we've seen turn up in the clutch and improve throughout VCT this year.
C9 struggled after TenZ's departure, but the NA side eventually found their footing and have shown marked improvements in performance. Fans will hope Nathan “leaf” Orf continues to showcase his prowess on Jett, having helped the team secure the NA Last Chance Qualifier spot with a 3-0 win over Rise.
Meanwhile, Jake “Boaster” Howlett, who serves as Fnatic's in-game leader, is another player to watch. He helped boost the team to the finals of Masters Reykjavík, beating out TL, though they later lost to SEN. At Europe Stage 3 Challengers, FNC ranked third, putting up a close five-map series against eventual winners TL.
Vision Strikers could also make it through to the knockouts, hailed as the top Korean side in VALORANT right now that made it to the Masters Berlin playoffs. They have great potential, and I expect C9 and VS to go head to head for the second spot out of this group.
Excitement, upsets, and surprises await the VALORANT community as 2021 draws to a close, with VCT Champions Berlin set to unfold as we turn the page to the final month of the year.
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