The VCT LOCK/IN 2023 will serve as the official beginning of Valorant esports' 2023 season. All 30 franchised Valorant rosters as well as two invited teams from China will compete in this first event, which will take place in the Ginásio do Ibirapuera in So Paulo, Brazil, from February 13 to March 4, 2023.

All 30 partnered teams from the Americas, EMEA, and Pacific leagues as well as the invited Chinese teams EDward Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix will fight against one another in a 32-team single-elimination bracket throughout the course of the 19-day event. Therefore, if any team loses even one best-of-three match to another team, they are automatically out of the competition and will no longer be competing for the VCT 2023: LOCK/IN Sao Paulo championship trophy. The 16-team Group Alpha and Group Omega groups were formed from the 32 teams to determine which side of the bracket each group would be on.

VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo teams

The 32 teams competing in the VCT 2023 are listed below: 

Match Schedule 

Format

32 teams divided into two groups are set to battle for the title of the first VCT 2023 champion and an extra spot for their region at VCT Masters Tokyo 2023. Over the course of 19 days, the matches will proceed as follows.

Due to the size of the competition, Riot Games had to use a novel approach to manage the VCT LOCK/IN 2023 proceedings. All 32 teams will compete in a single-elimination tournament for the event.

Within the tournament, teams will be divided into two distinct groups called Alpha and Omega. The top two teams from each group go to the single-elimination playoffs. The groups were chosen in a way that prevents teams from facing off against opponents from their own region in the first game. Up until the semifinals, teams will face off in a series of best-of-three matches. Both the semifinals and the championship game will be played in best-of-five fashion.

Where can you watch VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo

The LOCK/IN 2023 will be broadcast live on VCT's official channels on YouTube and Twitch, just like previous VCT events. In order to watch the event live with some of their favourite commentary and analysis, viewers can also connect to the official watch parties of streamers throughout the world.