VCT Masters: Copenhagen schedule, format and teams

July 8, 2022

by Sage Datuin

The VALORANT Champions Tour Masters: Copenhagen tournament is nearly underway as the 12 best teams from around the world fight for spots in the playoffs and a chance to garner important circuit points for VCT Champions in September.

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The two-week international tournament begins July 10 and runs until July 24. The top two teams from Group A and B will qualify for the playoffs where they will compete in a double-elimination bracket to decide the winner of VCT Masters: Copenhagen.

Schedule and format for Masters: Copenhagen (all times ET)

Sunday, July 10

DRX vs. Northeption at 9 a.m.
LOUD vs. KRU Esports at 12 p.m.
OpTic Gaming vs. Guild Esports at 3 p.m.

Monday, July 11

FunPlus Phoenix vs. XERXIA at 11 a.m.
Group A Winner’s Match at 2 p.m.

Tuesday, July 12

Group B Winner’s Match at 9 a.m.
Group B Elimination Match at 12 p.m.
Group A Elimination Match at 3 p.m.

Wednesday, July 13

Group B Decider Match at 11 a.m.
Group A Decider Match at 2 p.m.

Thursday, July 14

Upper bracket quarterfinals at 11 a.m.
Upper bracket quarterfinals at 2 p.m.

Friday, July 15

Upper bracket quarterfinals at 11 a.m.
Upper bracket quarterfinals at 2 p.m.

Saturday, July 16

Lower round 1 at 11 a.m.
Lower round 1 at 2 p.m.

Sunday, July 17

Upper bracket semifinals at 11 a.m.
Upper bracket semifinals at 2 p.m.

Monday, July 18

Lower bracket quarterfinals at 11 a.m.
Lower Bracket quarterfinals at 2 p.m.

Friday, July 22

Upper bracket final at 11 a.m.
Lower bracket semifinal at 2 p.m.

Saturday, July 23

Lower bracket final at 11 a.m.

Sunday, July 24

Grand final at 11 a.m.

XSET, Fnatic, Leviatán and Paper Rex are already qualified for the Masters: Copenhagen playoffs after finishing as the top seed in their respective regions. They will be joined by the top two teams from Group A and B.

Below is a breakdown of each of the 12 teams competing at Masters: Copenhagen and what you should look out for in the upcoming matches.

Teams competing at Masters: Copenhagen

Masters: Copenhagen playoff teams

Photo credit: Nerd Street

XSET

The consistent gatekeepers of North America have finally qualified for their first international tournament after taking down reigning Masters: Reykjavík champions OpTic Gaming in the VCT NA Stage 2 final.

Now, they enter Masters: Copenhagen with questions about their level of strength compared to other more experienced teams, with the biggest questions centered around young stars Zachary “Zekken” Patrone and Matthew “Cryocells” Panganiban. For the two, Masters: Copenhagen will be their first international tournament, and the biggest question is if nerves will get to them.

Regardless, even if XSET flame out of Masters: Copenhagen, they can gain solace knowing that they are already qualified for VCT Champions in September because of their minimum top-eight finish.

Fnatic

Fnatic are one of the top contenders heading into Masters: Copenhagen after finishing in first place in the EMEA Stage 2 playoffs. The Boaster-led European squad is one of the more experienced lineups at this tournament and have a good base of fundamental map play that many teams will struggle to overcome.

If there is one negative for Fnatic heading into Masters: Copenhagen, it would be James "Mistic" Orfila revealing on July 7 that he had tested positive for COVID. Luckily, Fnatic have already secured a spot in the playoffs so Mistic will have a week to recover and return to the lineup.

Fnatic have nearly guaranteed their spot at VCT Champions with 375 circuit points. Guild Esports would need to finish at minimum fourth while FunPlus Phoenix would need to finish at least 9th-10th to surpass Fnatic in circuit points to qualify for VCT Champions.

Paper Rex

The Southeast Asian VALORANT team continues to dominate the APAC region as the talented aimers continue to excite viewers with their strong mechanics for the game. Their dominance in the APAC region also has guaranteed their spot in the top eight at Masters: Copenhagen as well as VCT Champions later this year. However, that should not stop the Southeast Asian enigmas from making another deep run internationally as their star player Wang Jing "Jinggg" Jie continues to make a case as one of the best VALORANT players in the world.

Leviatán

Expectations for a strong Leviatán performance at Masters: Copenhagen are not that high. However, if they are to make it a deep run, it will be through star player Vicente "Tacolilla" Compagnon who was the X factor for the team taking down long standing LATAM powerhouse KRÜ Esports.

Not only does Leviatán have the LATAM talent, they also have two important pieces of KRÜ Esports’ coaching staff from 2021 in Rodrigo "Onur" Dalmagro and Martín "Betony" Bourre. With a combination of experienced coaches and talented firepower, Leviatán have an opportunity to exceed expectations in the playoffs. For now, they will be hoping that KRÜ Esports HAVE a weak performance at Masters: Copenhagen so that they can secure their spot at VCT Champions.

Masters: Copenhagen group stage teams

Photo credit: Riot Games

LOUD Esports

The Brazilian representatives and Masters: Reykjavik runners-up are back for vengeance as they look to take the Masters: Copenhagen trophy back to Brazil. LOUD dominated the Brazilian region after an undefeated run through the region to qualify for Copenhagen.

Although they do not have the automatic bye to the playoffs because of the LATAM vs. BR seeding format for first seeds, LOUD are one of the strongest contenders to hoist the Masters trophy by the end of the tournament. They will have an immediate opportunity to grab revenge against OpTic Gaming as both teams have been placed into Group A.

Even if LOUD underperform at Masters: Copenhagen, they have already guaranteed their spot at VCT Champions in September through circuit points. Still, a championship in Copenhagen could be the momentum this Brazilian powerhouse needs to make a statement in 2022.

XERXIA

The APAC second seed has secured their spot at VCT Champions just by qualifying for Masters: Copenhagen alongside Paper Rex. However, expectations are not as high for XERXIA compared to Paper Rex as the APAC second seed nearly missed out on a spot at this event to Team Secret. Nonetheless, XERXIA will look to do better than their 9th-10th place finish at Masters: Reykjavík and aim to make it back to the playoffs of an international event. Unfortunately, fans won’t have the opportunity to watch XERXIA vs. OpTic Gaming in the group stages this time around, but maybe they will meet in the playoffs.

DRX

DRX are back for their fourth consecutive international event, and the dominant Korean powerhouse has all the tools to make a deep run. The primary question is if the stars of this South Korean team can finally step up on the big stage or if they will continue their reign as group stage kings and playoff chokers. Only time will tell if fourth time is the charm for DRX as they look to finally break into the top four of an international tournament. Regardless, if Masters: Copenhagen is another quarterfinal finish for DRX, they can rest easy knowing that they have already secured their spot at Champions.

OpTic Gaming

The reigning Masters champions are looking to become the first VALORANT team to win back-to-back international tournaments as the North Americans are a favorite to win once again. Although OpTic Gaming were unable to secure a playoff bye at Masters: Copenhagen, they had players battling COVID symptoms during the NA VCT Stage 2 final.

With everybody fully healthy, OpTic Gaming can establish VALORANT’s first dynasty if they can win Masters: Copenhagen. However, even if the tournament ends up being a replica of their run at VCT Champions 2021, they are still guaranteed a spot at this year's VCT Champions through circuit points.

KRÜ Esports

No matter how far KRÜ Esports fall down from their international peak of a semifinal finish at VCT Champions 2021, you cannot stop this team from making an international tournament. KRÜ Esports continue to be the most consistent team in VALORANT and are the only team to qualify for every single international VALORANT event. That being said, this was their closest call to date. For the first time, KRÜ Esports were not the first seed out of the LATAM region. In fact, they were the second seed and only qualified through the LATAM vs. Brazil decider match for the final spot at Masters: Copenhagen. With a spot at VCT Champions 2022 on the line for KRÜ, they will need to surpass their perceived level of strength and get past a tough group stage.

NORTHEPTION

The Japanese representative was impressive against Masters: Reykjavík third-place team ZETA DIVISION in the qualifier for Masters: Copenhagen. In what was originally viewed as a one-team region, Northeption has shown that the Japanese region is ready to make waves internationally.

For now, NORTHEPTION’s sights need to be set on a strong performance at Masters: Copenhagen or else they will be sent straight to the VCT East Asia Last Chance Qualifier for a chance to reach VCT Champions. In order to do this, they will need to match ZETA DIVISION’s strong Reykjavík run and finish third in Copenhagen. That being said, NORTHEPTION already have shown their strength against the perceived No. 1 team in Japan. Can they extend that strong level of play on the international stage?

Guild Esports

Guild Esports finally broke their own curse as EMEA’s fourth-place team when they qualified for Masters: Copenhagen, their first international tournament as EMEA’s third seed. Placed into Group A alongside OpTic Gaming, LOUD, and KRÜ, Guild Esports have a tall task ahead of them to reach the playoffs and collect enough circuit points to qualify for VCT Champions. Nonetheless, Nikita "trexx" Cherednichenko and Leo "Leo" Jannesson are strong players that could possibly be the firepower Guild Esports need to pull off an upset at this tournament.

FunPlus Phoenix

Last but not least, we have FunPlus Phoenix. Plagued by visa issues out of their control, FunPlus Phoenix were unable to compete at Masters: Reykjavík, and VCT Masters: Copenhagen looks to be a continuation of their issues with multiple players likely unable to travel. Regardless, FunPlus Phoenix stands a strong chance of securing their spot at VCT Champions because of Guild Esports’ strong competition in Group A. This hybrid of FPX that likely will be competing with subs in Copenhagen will need all the breaks they can get in order to secure some victories and make it out of the group stage. If there is one player that can help this team scrounge some victories it has to be star player Ardis "ardiis" Svarenieks performing well.

Lead photo credit: Riot Games