Riot Games has officially unveiled the complete roadmap for VCT EMEA Stage 2 in 2025, revealing the tournament format, updated map rotation, match dates, and how teams can punch their ticket to VALORANT Champions in Paris.
Stakes Raised in Stage 2
Unlike Stage 1, where teams battled for a spot at Masters Toronto, Stage 2 shifts the focus to VALORANT’s pinnacle event — Champions Paris. A total of four teams from EMEA will qualify for Champions, with two direct invites up for grabs through the Stage 2 Playoffs. The remaining two slots will be awarded based on overall championship points earned throughout the 2025 season.
Fnatic currently leads the regional standings with 14 championship points, having narrowly missed out on the Masters Toronto title in a grand final defeat to Paper Rex.
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Group Stage and Playoffs Breakdown
The competition begins on July 16 and spans five weeks of group-stage matches, wrapping up by August 15. All 12 teams are split evenly into two groups — Alpha and Omega — and will play each other in a best-of-three round-robin format.
From each group, the top four squads will advance to the playoffs:
1st place: Upper bracket semifinal
2nd and 3rd place: Upper bracket first round
4th place: Starts in the lower bracket
The playoff phase will run from August 21 to 24, followed by the upper bracket final and lower bracket semi-final on August 29. The lower bracket final is set for August 30, leading to the climactic Grand Final on August 31, where the winner of Stage 2 will be crowned. Early rounds in the playoffs will be best-of-three, while the lower final and Grand Final will use a best-of-five format.
New Map Pool Shakes Up the Meta
With Stage 2 comes a revised map pool. Riot Games has officially introduced Corrode, a brand-new map making its competitive debut, while Bind returns to the active rotation.
Maps leaving the pool are Pearl and Split. The updated seven-map lineup includes:
Corrode
Lotus
Icebox
Haven
Bind
Ascent
Sunset
This change is expected to bring new strategic dynamics and potential surprises as teams adapt.
Fan Experience and Tickets
Matches will be hosted live at the Riot Games Arena in Berlin, with tickets already available for the first three weeks of group stage action. Additional ticket releases are scheduled every Wednesday at 5 PM BST for the remaining fixtures.
Who’s Competing?
The Stage 2 roster mirrors that of Stage 1, featuring the 10 partnered EMEA squads along with two teams promoted through Ascension in 2023 and 2024.
Here’s the full list of contenders:
Fnatic
Team Heretics
Team Liquid
BBL Esports
NAVI
FUT Esports
Karmine Corp
Team Vitality
KOI
GIANTX
Gentle Mates
Apeks
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