The groups for the VALORANT Challengers 2023: North America Split 1 have been drawn

The group stage is looking heated.

The VALORANT Challengers 2023: North America Split 1 is set to begin in just a few days, starting from February 1 to March 17. This features 12 teams from NA, which includes invited teams as well as squads that qualified from the open qualifiers.

These 12 teams have been split into two groups of six and will play in a single round-robin, best-of-three format. This is to determine the top four teams from each group, who will then move on to the Mid-Season Invitational. From there, the top eight will play in a double-elimination bracket that will grant the top four teams extra Ascension points as well as crown the Split 1 champion.

There are six invited teams alongside four teams from the open qualifiers as well as two more teams from the last-chance qualifiers. This includes household names like G2 Esports, TSM, and FaZe Clan. Coming from the qualifiers, the biggest name would be Oxygen Esports.

Group A

Group B

These same 12 organisations will return in mid-April for the second split of the VCL, which will run until mid-May. June is when the Split 2 Playoffs will take place and the teams with the most points will receive slots in Americas Ascension. They will join both LATAM and Brazilian teams to fight for a 2024 VCT Americas slot.