Riot Games Announces New Import Rules for VALORANT in the Americas Region
Riot Games has recently revealed the 10 teams for the Americas region in VALORANT, which includes teams from North America, Brazil, and Latin America. This new regional competition will take place on LAN in Los Angeles next year. Along with the introduction of the Americas league, Riot has also implemented new import rules that will redefine player eligibility. Under the new rules, players will be considered a part of the region they compete in, rather than being classified as imports.
According to the updated ruleset issued by Riot, participating teams must have at least four team members from a country within the applicable League Territory on their starting roster throughout the season. This requirement is in place to promote regional identification, something that is valued by both fans and sponsors. For example, the Americas League Territory includes the United States and Brazil, while the EMEA League Territory encompasses Germany and Nigeria.
These rules mean that any team in the Americas region can recruit players from any country within the region, regardless of the organization’s origin. Players from North America, Brazil, and Latin America are all considered residents of the region and can be switched across any of the 10 teams in the league.
Imported players, on the other hand, are those who do not reside within the current region, such as those from EMEA or Pacific. Similar to Riot’s popular game, League of Legends, each team will be allowed only one import slot on their roster. This means that teams cannot fill their rosters with players from a different league. For instance, if a team from the Pacific region, like Paper Rex, signs players, they can only recruit individuals from North America or the Americas region.
These new import rules aim to maintain competitive balance and promote local talent within the Americas region of VALORANT. The implementation of such rules reflects Riot’s desire to create a vibrant and diverse esports ecosystem in which regional identification plays a significant role.