Riot Games revealed the format and schedule Wednesday for Valorant Champions 2022, the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) season's end-of-year final featuring an expanded pool of 16 international teams competing for the ultimate crown in İstanbul.

By virtue of VCT circuit points and Last Chance Qualifier results, the stage has finally been set for Valorant's second world champion to be crowned in the coming weeks. Here's a breakdown of the Valorant Champions 2022 format, including the qualified teams, the drawn groups and the double-elimination playoffs bracket.

Valorant Champions 2022 Bracket: Teams

EMEA

1. FPX
2. FNATIC
3. Team Liquid

North America

1. OpTic Gaming
2. XSET
3. 100 Thieves

Brazil

1. LOUD
2. FURIA Esports

LATAM

1. Leviatán
2. KRÜ Esports

Korea

1. DRX

Japan

1. ZETA DIVISION

APAC

1. Paper Rex
2. XERXIA
3. BOOM Esports

East Asia

1. EDward Gaming

Valorant Champions 2022 Bracket: Group Stage

The first half of Valorant Champions 2022 will consist of GSL-style group play, with the 16 teams being sorted into pools and randomly drawn into one of four groups to play best-of-three matches.

• Group A: Paper Rex, EDward Gaming, Leviatán, Team Liquid
• Group B: Optic Gaming, BOOM Esports, ZETA DIVISION, LOUD
• Group C: FPX, KRÜ Esports, XSET, XERXIA
• Group D: DRX, FURIA Esports, FNATIC, 100 Thieves

By the end of the Group Stage, two teams from each group will make up the eight-team, double-elimination playoff bracket, aka the Knockout Stage.

Valorant Champions 2022 Bracket: Knockout Stage

After the Group Stage, a random draw will seed the Knockout Stage's eight-team, double-elimination playoff bracket. The four teams who will have advanced out of their group in first place will be randomly assigned a second-place team from a different group.

All of the matches will continue to be best-of-threes until the Lower Final, which will be a best-of-five series.

The best-of-five Grand Final will take play on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 10 a.m. ET.

Valorant Champions 2022: How to Watch

An earlier announcement of the event had Valorant Champions 2022 starting on Sept. 2. To "accommodate the double elimination format and provide more player breaks," Riot announced that the start date has been shifted to Aug. 31.

Valorant Champions 2022 is set to run from Aug. 31 to Sept. 18.

Those looking to catch the action live can do so through the VCT's usual avenues of streaming:

• YouTube.com/valorantesports
• Twitch.tv/valorant
• Watch parties

For more 2022 VCT coverage, feel free to check out:

• Valorant Pros Share Their Go-To Buys for Pistol Rounds
• Valorant Pros Settle the Vandal vs. Phantom Debate
• VCT Pros Explain What the Best Map is in Valorant
• VCT Pros Reveal What the Worst Map is in Valorant
• Coaching ‘Vibey’ 100 Thieves Valorant, Sean Gares Finds Personal Growth as Well
• Valorant Pros Explain What Players Should Improve to Climb Ranked
• VCT Pros Reveal Their Favorite Post-Launch Valorant Agents
• Sean Gares Talks Future of Valorant Esports: 'We're Still Early on in the Game's Lifespan'
• Valorant Pros Share Their Favorite Melee Skins
• VCT Pros Explain What the Most OP Ultimate Ability is in Valorant
• Valorant Pros Reveal Where Their Dream VCT Events Would Take Place
• Valorant Esports 2023 Partnership Tracker

This article was originally published on dbltap as Valorant Champions 2022 Bracket: Teams, Group Stage, Knockout Stage.