Riot Games just pulled the plug on VALORANT Challengers Oceania, ending the official tier-two league for aspiring pro players in the region. Meanwhile Oceanian players gets alternative path to pro Valorant instead of the Oceania Challengers.
Why Oceania Lost Its League
The company announced December 3 that the circuit couldn’t continue because it wasn’t growing enough. Viewership stayed low and not enough players participated to justify the costs of running the entire league.
Riot explained that the “operational demands of the league had begun to outweigh both viewership levels and player participation.” Running a professional circuit requires significant resources, and Oceania simply wasn’t delivering enough value.
Premier Becomes the New Path
Oceanian players aren’t completely cut off from professional VALORANT. Instead of Challengers, they must now climb through Premier, the game’s built-in competitive mode that connects to pro play.
Here’s how the new system works. Top-performing Premier teams in Oceania will qualify for a regional tournament. The winner of that qualifier earns a spot at Pacific’s Last Chance Qualifier against teams from South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The LCQ winner gets the final VCT Pacific spot at VALORANT Champions. This means Oceania still has a path to the biggest tournament, just a much harder and narrower one than before.
Game Changers Stays Safe
The changes don’t affect VCT Game Changers Oceania, which will continue running normally in 2026. Women’s VALORANT esports in the region keeps its dedicated league and support structure.
Riot also promised to support “grassroots and community tournaments” that have been thriving in Oceania. These smaller events helped develop talent even when Challengers existed.
Harder Road for Oceania Players
The new system creates major challenges for aspiring pros. Premier requires reaching Immortal Three rank or higher just to participate in the qualifying process. Then teams must dominate against other top squads to earn that single LCQ spot.
Previously, Challengers provided consistent competition, salaries, and clear advancement opportunities. Now Oceanian players compete through an in-game mode with one extremely limited path to VCT Pacific.
This decision reflects Riot’s focus on sustainable esports ecosystems. If a region can’t generate enough interest to support a professional league, the company won’t keep funding it indefinitely.
Andrew "SuZki" Scola is a dedicated Valorant player who has been in the game since the Valorant beta release, achieving a peak rank of Immortal 3. With over six years of experience writing gaming content, he brings deep game knowledge and strategic insight to every article. Based in Los Angeles, California, Andrew is an active member of the SoCal Valorant community and has competed at the semi-pro level in Valorant esports. As a proud Killjoy and Raze main, he’s known for his sharp utility usage and high-impact plays—especially on his favorite maps: Haven, Breeze, and Lotus.