Team South Korea, Czech Republic, Portugal, Peru, Indonesia, France, Sweden and Chile advance to the next round
Today, teams from all around the world descended on Istanbul, Turkey for the Red Bull Campus Clutch World Final, the global student VALORANT tournament. Fighting to put their nation on the top step and win the title of Red Bull Campus Clutch 2023 Champions and a €20,000 prize pool, the first day of the tournament saw fierce competition live from the Volkswagen Arena.
The action kicked off with some familiar faces, as teams such as South Korea’s VAC KIMCHI and the Czech Republic’s NARODNI GARDA returned to the event after qualifying through their respective national qualifiers. Their experience made all the difference, as both finished 2-1 in their group and secured a position in Thursday’s Round of 16. However, it was Portuguese team NemAPAU that stood out from the crowd, with a dominant 3-0 sweep. Their squad included Miguel ‘Bati’ Batista, who has represented Portugal in every Red Bull Campus Clutch World Final. Peru also pulled through with a 2-1 result, rounding out the first four teams to progress.
“We just took it round by round and made the comeback [against Taiwan]. It was the first time we played their comp, so it was harder to adapt to it” said Miguel ‘Bati’ Batista on his tough and final day one match against Team Taiwan. On the event overall, Peru Coach Giancarlo ‘giaNco’ Arróspide said “I’m really happy to be here, it’s the first time. The city is so beautiful, and the tournament is going really well.”
The afternoon saw another ten teams compete, with powerhouses such as defending champion Team USA attempting to make their way through to the next stage of the competition. However, it was Indonesia’s Team Garuda that shocked everyone. The squad, all newcomers to the competition, dominated 4-0 and most impressively beat USA’s Team Northwood, in a tight 18-16 victory. The defending champs were not able to replicate last year’s success, missing out on their group’s second qualifying spot to Team France. Elsewhere, Sweden’s RETIREDGAMERS and Chile’s Los Vigentes led their prospective groups 4-0 and 3-1, rounding out the teams from day one who will move forward to the Round of 16.
“I feel like we have just had a nice moment right here. We are really excited, and also really motivated” said Peru’s kivary on their day one results. On their perfect first day that included victory over the defending champs, Indonesia’s Bryan Carlos ‘Kush’ Setiawan said “The way we played today, we definitely deserve our spot right now. However, we can’t be too happy with what we achieved, as we’re looking to win the whole thing.”
These eight teams will go up against eight more on Thursday, to be decided tomorrow during the second round of group stages. The Top 16 will then battle it out in the knockout rounds to see who will eventually make it through to the Grand Final, taking place on Friday.
- Fans can tune in to the tournament live on the Red Bull Gaming Twitch and YouTube (Thursday and Friday).
- The full remaining schedule of the tournament is as follows:
- Group Stages Day 2: 22nd November / 8AM – 2PM CET
- Top 16 and Quarter Finals: 23rd November / 10AM – 3:30PM CET
- Semi-Finals: 24th November / 10:00AM – 8PM CET
- Showmatch: 24th November / 3:00PM – 4:00PM CET
- Final: 24th November / 4:00PM – 10PM CET
- Friday, November 24th will host a showmatch including wtcN, Cigdemt, Alfajer, CombatRy, Hellian, qRaxs, CNed, Ata, Keeoh and Tiffae.
- The winning Red Bull Campus Clutch team will receive €20,000 and the title of the best student VALORANT team in the world.
- Red Bull Campus Clutch is supported by three partners this year: Intel NUC, Backforce and AGON by AOC