For the first international competition of the year, about 16 VALORANT teams from around the globe have started their journey to So Paulo, Brazil. The event is scheduled to start on February 13, and over the next several days, half of the teams participating in the competition will arrive in So Paulo. Next week’s competition will feature all of the teams from the Alpha bracket, which has groups like NRG, Cloud9, Gen.G, DRX, and others.
FunPlus Phoenix, one of the Chinese teams selected by Riot Games to compete at the tournament, are set to fly out from Shanghai with a custom boarding pass headed to Brazil. Although, it’s unlikely that massive pass is allowed through customs.
Some teams set to arrive from Europe have a long flight ahead of them. Typically it can take around 13 hours on a non-stop flight to arrive in Brazil. Others in North America typically have to be in the air for around eight to nine hours.
Giants, for example, have a grueling 13-hour flight ahead of them as the team prepares for their opening match against DetonatioN FocusMe on Feb. 13.
The Alpha bracket of VCT LOCK//IN features 16 teams with some impressive opening matchups. Brazilian Champions LOUD are set to face off against a new and improved Gen.G lineup while Cloud9 are set to face off against Paper Rex.
Fans of Sentinels and Fnatic have to wait until Feb. 24, however, as these two teams were placed in the Omega bracket. This bracket, which features the other half of the teams in attendance, is set to begin on Feb. 22 with Team Secret facing off against Team Liquid.