VALORANT is Out of the Esports World Cup 2024, Know Why?

The Esports World Cup going to be hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia won't feature VALORANT in its lineup. The reason behind the removal of VALORANT from the tournament is reportedly said to be scheduling conflicts.

As Per James Fudges of Esports Advocate "VALORANT was considered for the Esports World Cup however because of a lack of flexibility in the schedule it's hard for professional players in the event held from July 4 to August 25."

The period of the Esports World Cup is also clashing with the VCT 2024 Schedule. The tournament's first half will take place with regular seasons and playoffs of the Champions while the second half will overlap with the Champions itself with both events concluding on August 25.

The current VCT schedule doesn't allow teams to participate in the Esports World Cup, but changes in the 2025 schedule may create an opportunity for VALORANT teams to compete in the event. Riot Games has signed a one-year contract with the Esports World Cup Foundation and is taking a cautious approach before committing to a longer partnership. However, both Riot and participating organizations have faced criticism for supporting an event funded by the Saudi Arabian government, given the country's history of human rights violations. In the past, Riot cancelled a partnership with the Saudi-backed NEOM project due to public backlash.