Rabia is an Editor for Esports Insider and a freelance on-screen VALORANT desk analyst and interviewer. When she's not working, you’ll find her rewatching Marvel movies and crushing on Elizabeth Olsen and Scarlett Johansson.
Olivia Richman is a seasoned esports journalist who has worked with Inven Global, Esports Illustrated, Esports.gg, and more. As an editor and writer at Esports Insider, she loves telling unique esports stories, especially within the FGC. When not working and gaming, Olivia loves collecting Kirby plush, eating sushi, and driving her cars at the track.
Image Credits: Sasha Safronova/Riot Games Ever since Riot Games introduced the partnership system in VALORANT esports, Tier 2 has existed in an uncomfortable position. It was important enough to be called the foundation of Tier 1, but it rarely received enough spotlight, investment, or care to sustain itself.
As a result, multiple organizations left the scene, as the sheer amount of investment required to run a team simply didn’t make sense. After years of criticism, Riot Games finally decided to amend the rules in 2026 and beyond, especially after organizations such as G2 Esports (with The Guard roster) and Nongshim RedForce defeated some of the best teams to lift trophies.
The publisher introduced Path to Champions while announcing a more open format starting with the 2027 VCT season to “make every match matter.” And that did not just spice things up by creating a new mix of teams, but exposed Tier 1 in exactly the way a VALORANT esports fan might have imagined.
Path to Champions eliminated Ascension tournaments and directly placed the top Challengers teams into a newly introduced Play-Ins stage in VCT Stage 2 leagues across all regions. Not only that, but the qualified teams also received a $75,000 stipend to cover costs such as travel, visas, and more.
While this did not solve all of Tier 2’s concerns, it kept the competitive pipeline alive and gave Challengers teams a real shot at reaching the most prestigious event of the VCT season.
It was not just a stress test for Challengers teams, but also an eye-opening challenge for the lower-ranked teams in the VCT Stage 2 Group Stage — one that multiple organizations failed.
Image Credit: Riot Games Starting with EMEA, three out of four Challenger organizations placed in Play-Ins defeated some of the strongest teams, such as Fnatic and Team Heretics, to qualify for the Playoffs.
That is already a huge statement. Teams that fans expected to be title contenders are entirely out of the race because of organizations stepping onto the international stage for the first time.
Among them, Enterprise Esports, featuring Martin “Magnum” Peňkov and Patryk “paTiTek” Fabrowski, is continuing its impressive run in the Playoffs after kicking Team Vitality into the lower bracket to proceed to the Upper Semifinals.
“VCT teams are usually playing way to boring, and watching Tier 2 has always been way more fun for me. Nice that someone is calling out the frauds this time,” VALORANT caster Erik “Qwikk” Persson stated after Enterprise Esports made it to the Playoffs.
I've always been very open about not being that into @vct_emea VCT, even though I'm a caster VCT teams are usually playing way to boring, and watching tier 2 has always been way more fun for me @valleague_ne Nice that someone are calling out the frauds this time @enterprise_esp
“These T1 teams are getting exposed left and right, and we’re here…