Valorant VCT//Lock In Sao Paulo 2023 to Feature a Prize Pool of $500K

The first event of the Valorant Champions Tour 2023 season is scheduled to kick off with VCT//Lock In. The event was already regarded as the biggest Valorant LAN event before Riot added two Chinese teams to the list. São Paulo will become the host for this biggest Valorant LAN, which will feature a $500,000 total prize pool split among 32 Riot-partnered teams.

Of that total prize pool, $160,000 is set aside for the Grand Finals, with the champions taking home US$100,000 and an additional slot for their VCT League region at Masters Tokyo, and the runners-up receiving US$60,000.

LOCK/IN is set to be the most significant event in the VCT’s history. From 13th February to 4th March, 32 of the world’s best teams will compete in three weeks of rigorous competition at the Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo.

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Valorant VCT//Lock In São Paulo: Participating Teams, Format 

All the 32 teams from EMEA, the Pacific, the Americas, and China are split into two sides of the single-elimination bracket, called “Alpha” and “Omega.” The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, which will be a best-of-five series.

The Alpha bracket will compete in the first stage of Lock//In from 13 to 19 February, followed by the Omega bracket from 22 to 27 February. The finals stage follows shortly after, and is set to take place from 2 to4 March. 

Following are the teams that will be competing in the VCT Lock//In event:

The invited teams from China are EDG and FPX. The first stage of the event follows a single-elimination bracket with the subsequent events following the double-elimination bracket.

To boost the number of inter-regional matches at LOCK/IN, a random draw mechanism was used, which matched teams from various areas in the first round while simultaneously increasing the probability of inter-regional matchups in the second round.

For example, in the first group, named Alpha, MIBR will compete against Talon Esports, which represents the Americas area while the latter represents the Pacific region. The champion of this matchup advances to the next round, where they will face the winner of Heretics from EMEA and Evil Geniuses from Americas in the top left quadrant of the Alpha bracket.

There are a few overlapping regions, however the arrangement assures that two regions cannot play each other in the first round of competition. As a result of the single-elimination double-group format, 16 teams will be eliminated after one best-of-three match between Alpha and Omega. Once two teams from each group are left, the four teams will compete in the semifinals and grand finals. The final stage will be a best-of-five match.

According to Riot, future events will use a double-elimination structure.

VCT Lock//In São Paulo Prize Pool Distribution

It’s time to lock in for the first international event of the #VCT 2023 season! 🔒

Here’s everything you need to know about LOCK//IN Brazil. pic.twitter.com/11hMbHMYFr

— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) January 17, 2023

The total prize pool of the event is distributed among the 32 teams as follows:

• 1st place – $100,000
• 2nd place – $60,000
• 3rd place – $40,000
• 4th place – $40,000
• 5th place – $25,000
• 6th place – $25,000
• 7th place – $25,000
• 8th place – $25,000
• 9th-16th place – $10,000
• 17th-32nd place – $5000]

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