The stage is nearly set for VALORANT’s next major global tournament in 2025. Hosted at the Enercare Centre in Toronto from June 7 to June 22, the Masters Toronto event will gather twelve top-performing teams from the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT), representing the China, Americas, Pacific, and EMEA regions. Each region sends its top three squads based on VCT Stage 1 results, with Stage 1 winners advancing directly into the Playoffs. The event features a $1 million prize pool, and the competition promises to be fierce.
VCT China: A Surprise Shake-Up
China’s regional Stage 1 delivered plenty of surprises. EDward Gaming, the reigning 2024 Champions, made an early exit during the Playoffs despite dominating their group. Meanwhile, Ascension 2024 contender XLG Esports made a stunning climb. They narrowly missed the top spot in Group Omega but surged through the Playoffs with a clean 2-0 sweep over Nova Esports, EDward Gaming, and Wolves Esports.
Their only dropped map came during the Grand Final, where they claimed a 3-1 win over Bilibili Gaming to take the championship. Despite falling short of the title, both Bilibili and Wolves earned a place at Masters Toronto.
VCT Americas: No Shocks, Just Power Plays
The Americas region played out with fewer surprises but plenty of high-level performances. Although KRÜ Esports showed promise in groups, their Playoff run ended without a Masters spot. Instead, familiar names G2 Esports and Sentinels dominated once again.
After a brief detour to the lower bracket courtesy of Sentinels, G2 went on a revenge tour, taking down 100 Thieves, Evil Geniuses, and MIBR. They finished the run by defeating Sentinels 3-1 in the Grand Final to claim the top seed. MIBR secured the third and final Americas slot after their loss to G2 in the Lower Bracket Final.
VCT Pacific: A Rollercoaster of Upsets
The Pacific region may have hosted the most unpredictable Stage 1 tournament of all. Newcomers BOOM Esports took the spotlight in groups with a perfect 5-0 score, only to collapse in the Playoffs after back-to-back defeats against Gen.G and Paper Rex.
Paper Rex, who had a rough start in groups, flipped expectations in the lower bracket. They eliminated T1, BOOM, and DRX to make it to the Lower Final. There, they fell in a narrow 3-2 match against Rex Regum Qeon (RRQ), who had earlier lost to Gen.G but bounced back with a commanding 3-1 victory in the rematch to win the Pacific title.
VCT EMEA: A Clash of Rivals
The EMEA region was the final to wrap up, and despite technical difficulties during group play, the matches delivered competitive intensity. Fnatic and Team Heretics found themselves locked in a heated rivalry. Heretics came out on top in Group Alpha with a flawless record, including a win over Fnatic.
However, Fnatic turned the tables in the Playoffs, cruising through the upper bracket and sweeping Heretics 3-0 in the final. Heretics rebounded with a win over Team Liquid to secure a rematch, but Fnatic repeated their dominant form, winning the Grand Final without dropping a map in the series.
Who’s Headed to Toronto?
Here’s a full list of teams heading to the VALORANT Masters Toronto 2025:
VCT China
- 1st: XLG Esports
- 2nd: Bilibili Gaming
- 3rd: Wolves Esports
VCT Americas
- 1st: G2 Esports
- 2nd: Sentinels
- 3rd: MIBR
VCT Pacific
- 1st: Rex Regum Qeon
- 2nd: Gen.G Esports
- 3rd: Paper Rex
VCT EMEA
- 1st: Fnatic
- 2nd: Team Heretics
- 3rd: Team Liquid
Fans can catch the tournament live beginning June 7, with broadcasts available in multiple languages. English-language coverage will be streamed through VALORANT’s official channels on Twitch and YouTube.