Since its debut in international competitions as representatives from the GPL region to being separated into its own region, VCS has consistently made its mark on the international stage. Once regarded as a less significant region that only created occasional sparks, VCS representatives have gradually been recognized for their progress year after year. Notably, in recent years, teams like GAM Esports and Team Whales have achieved commendable results. The VCS region is also recognized for having a very strong League of Legends community, perhaps only second to top regions like China and Korea.
Recently, in a latest announcement, Riot revealed information about a new tournament coming in 2025. Accordingly, this tournament will bring together 5 regions, including the Americas (LCS, CBLOL (Brazil), and LLA (Latin America), LCK, LPL, LEC, and Asia-Pacific (APAC, including VCS, LJL, PCS, LCO, and PCL). Notably, not only the new tournament but also according to Riot’s information, these 5 regions will also represent the entire League of Legends community worldwide in all future international tournaments.
However, in 2025, the new tournament for regions like the Americas or APAC will likely be experimental. Specifically, APAC is expected to have 8 teams participating, and each region (PCS, VCS, LJL…) will still be guaranteed 1 spot, determined based on the playoffs of PCS and VCS Summer 2024. However, starting in 2026, the rule of one team per region as mentioned will officially apply. Additionally, changes are also expected for MSI with 2 teams from each region and Worlds will feature 17 teams (3 teams from each region, the MSI champion, and the second-best performing region will have an additional slot).
In response to Riot’s announcement, many VCS fans expressed confusion and pessimism, believing that VCS, after all its efforts, has to merge regions. Moreover, many individuals criticized players involved in recent match-fixing scandals. However, in reality, the merging of regions is a policy that Riot has long applied in VALORANT and is not related to the recent match-fixing incidents in VCS. As Riot also stated in their post, this is to help avoid splitting budget resources too much among regions that are less effective.
Furthermore, even though they are all seed 1, it is clear that regions like PCS, VCS, or CBLOL find it difficult to develop on par with teams from LPL, LCK, or LEC. Even a large region like LCS has accepted to merge with smaller regions, so this is simply a policy from Riot, completely unrelated to the recent drama within the region. Moreover, VCS has always competed on par with teams from PCS, with perhaps only unpredictable results when facing off against top-tier teams like PSG Talon. The merging of regions could increase competitiveness and further enhance the quality of the tournament.
Nevertheless, there might be challenges ahead. But VCS fans will have the opportunity to watch more high-level matches, rather than overly predictable games where the power gap between teams is too large as it currently stands.