Reports have surfaced that the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Stage 1 Masters event in Reykjavik, Iceland still won't be opening its doors to a live audience. This means that fans will yet again miss out on a chance to watch their teams play in-person. In fact, to date, no international VCT event — even the much-awaited VCT Champions last year — has yet allowed a live crowd to attend.

The competitive VALORANT scene unfortunately launched in the midst of the pandemic. That forced tournaments off-stage and restricted viewing to a remote audience only. This year so far is proving no different with the first international event of VCT 2022 also keeping its doors closed to the public, even as restrictions begin to ease around the globe.

A live crowd no doubt creates a wholly different atmosphere compared to an empty arena, enlivening the place with cheers and gasps as outplay and clutch moments unfold before their eyes. But it's also respectable that Riot officials are taking the cautious route, putting health and safety top-of-mind, especially as we've all seen the disastrous way that COVID-19 cases can surge when a new variant emerges.

Right now, VCT Challengers tournaments are still in full swing. In North America, the main event group stage is on its final week, with the eight teams already locking their spot for the playoffs stage after five weeks of best-of-three series. The entire event so far, including the prequel Qualifiers stage, has unfolded without a live experience for fans. And whoever makes it to the finals of the playoffs and secures their spot at Masters will also have to play in a quiet arena in Reykjavik, while fans can only watch with bated breath from their own screens and livestreams.

Initially, fans had been hopeful about the possibility of finally attending in-person. After all, an different esports event for League of Legends — the LCS Spring Split playoffs — was officially announced by Riot to be welcoming back a live audience when the postseason kicks off early next month, even earlier than the scheduled VCT Masters in Iceland which is set for mid-April.

Yet reports from George Geddes, journalist at DotEsports, quickly dashed those hopes. In a tweet, Geddes revealed that a “Riot rep confirmed” that the “upcoming VCT Masters will NOT have a crowd.” Not only will fans be watching remotely, but members of the press will also have to do their reporting off-location.

Whether the difference in live attendance rules has anything to do with the location (as LCS takes place in a dedicated LCS Studio in California) or simply Riot not wanting to take the risk with hosting the first in-person tournament for their VALORANT scene until they can guarantee everyone's safety, fans will simply have to wait a bit longer before they can experience the thrill of VCT live. At the least, they can look forward to a double-elimination format for both the group stage and bracket at the international VCT Masters event in Reykjavik.