VCT 2023 Americas LCQ: Teams, Schedule, How to Watch and More

Americas LCQ will give us one more team from the region to compete in the upcoming Champions 2023

Fan favorite names from North America, Brazil and Latin America who failed to qualify for Masters Tokyo will get a final opportunity to compete in this year's biggest VALORANT event – Champions 2023. The Americas Last Chance Qualifier, shortly known as LCQ, will commence on July 14. It will be a LAN event similar to previous LCQs, with the venue set in Riot Games Arena situated in Los Angeles. Here is your viewer guide for this event –

VCT 2023 Americas LCQ Stream – How to Watch

You can tune into VCT 2023 Americas LCQ matches every day at 13:00 PT / 16:00 ET / 22:00 CEST in the following official streams –

• Twitch
• YouTube

VCT 2023 Americas LCQ – List of Teams

Credit: Riot Games

The Americas LCQ will feature 7 teams, three from North America and two from both Brazilian and Latin American regions.

• Cloud9

After a stellar 8-1 run in the Regular Season, Cloud9 not making it to the Masters was one of the biggest upsets we saw this year. During the Playoffs, the North Americans faced an unexpected defeat by Evil Geniuses. After that, their Lower Bracket journey ended with a 1-2 loss facing NRG, which didn’t allow C9 to secure any of the top three spots that would’ve been the key to reaching Tokyo. Going into LCQ, they are undoubtedly the favorites to cement a Champions slot.

• Leviatán

At the start of VCT Americas’ Regular Season, the Chileans were looking incredible, with impressive victories against teams like Sentinels and NRG. However, they failed to keep their glory on full throttle, and their Playoffs journey ended quickly with a 0-2 run. Nonetheless, Leviatán have proved themselves to be a strong contender with excellent players like Francisco “kiNgg” Aravena on their lineup. They are the #2 seed in this LCQ, granting them a head start in the double-elimination bracket. 

• FURIA

Even with Douglas “dgzin” Silva having an incredible form, FURIA’s only victories in VCT Americas come from facing some of the weaker teams in the tournament. They have consistently failed to perform against the big dogs, which will be their primary focus coming into the LCQ. 

• Sentinels

Sentinels failed to move past the Regular Season amidst multiple roster changes, as their star player Tyson “TenZ” Ngo had to be replaced by Controller legend Jimmy “Marved” Nguyen due to health complications. They also parted ways with then IGL Rory “dephh” Jackson, giving the responsibility to Marved’s hand after TenZ’s return, who saw glimmers of success leading the team, but it wasn’t enough to make it to the Playoffs. The once-praised team struggled a lot during these changes, and going into the LCQ, they are expected to perform much better with the current stability they have been enjoying since VCT Americas’ conclusion.

• 100 Thieves

After a rocky journey in the Regular Season, 100 Thieves needed to win the match against MIBR to secure their Playoffs spot, a series where the North Americans were the clear favorites, especially since MIBR were playing with a coach subbed in, in the absence of Olavo “heat” Marcelo. Unfortunately, 100T met with a devastating defeat, granting Evil Geniuses the chance to compete in the Playoffs. It had seemed like a team with so many talented figures failed to find the right game plan in their matches, costing them an opportunity to compete in the Masters.

• MIBR

The Brazilians had some impressive wins in VCT Americas against teams like 100 Thieves and NRG, but their overall performance wasn’t great, given the 3-6 run. However, coach Matheus “bzkA” Tarasconi talked about the improvements the team has been going through with André “Txozin” Saidel, and the team is excited to show a new side in the LCQ.

• KRÜ Esports

KRÜ had the worst performance out of any team at VCT Americas, with a winless 0-9 run in the Regular Season. This was a devastating look from a team that had impressed the world at international events before, and they clearly needed some big changes to the roster, which they did by benching a couple of members and bringing back Angelo “keznit” Mori.

VCT 2023 Americas LCQ – Prize 

The winner of the LCQ will qualify for Champions 2023.

VCT 2023 Americas LCQ – Format

Screenshot via Liquipedia

The Americas LCQ will follow a unique hybrid elimination format where the bottom 5 teams in VCT Americas seeding will fight in a single elimination bracket while the top two squads will have a spot in a double-elimination bracket. 

The lowest seeds, 6th and 7th, will have the first battle in a single elimination Upper Bracket Round 1 match, where the winner will join seeds #3, #4 and #5 in another set of single elimination Upper Bracket Quarterfinal matches.

The remaining two teams from seed #3 to #7 will move forward to the Upper Bracket Semifinals to fight in a double-elimination bracket with the top two seeds. 

All matches will be Best of 3s, except for the Lower Bracket Final and Grand Final, which will be Bo5s.

VCT 2023 Americas LCQ – Schedule

The 2023 Americas LCQ will start on July 14, 2023, with matches starting at 13:00 PT / 16:00 ET / 22:00 CEST on Saturday. It will be a 9-day-long event with a 3-day interval. Here are the detailed schedule –

Upper Round 1

Day 1, Saturday, July 15

• MIBR 0 – 2 KRÜ Esports – 13:00 PT / 16:00 ET / 22:00 CEST

Upper Quarterfinals

Day 2, Sunday, July 16

• FURIA 1 – 2 KRÜ Esports – 13:00 PT / 16:00 ET / 22:00 CEST
• Sentinels 2 – 1 100 Thieves – 16:00 PT / 19:00 ET / 01:00 CEST

Upper Semifinals

Day 3, Monday, July 17

• Cloud9 2 – 1 Sentinels- 13:00 PT / 16:00 ET / 22:00 CEST
• Leviatán 0 – 2 KRÜ Esports – 16:00 PT / 19:00 ET / 01:00 CEST

Upper Final

Day 4, Tuesday, July 18

• Cloud9 1 – 2 KRÜ Esports – 13:00 PT / 16:00 ET / 22:00 CEST

Lower Round 1

Day 4, Tuesday, July 18

• Sentinels 0 – 2 Leviatán – 16:00 PT / 19:00 ET / 01:00 CEST

Lower Final

Day 5, Saturday, July 22

• Cloud9 2 – 3 Leviatán – 13:00 PT / 16:00 ET / 22:00 CEST

Grand Final

Day 6, Sunday, July 23

• KRÜ Esports 3 – 1 Leviatán – 13:00 PT / 16:00 ET / 22:00 CEST

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