The following was provided to Inven Global as a press release.

A few weeks ago we announced the first official Riot Games-produced VALORANT tournament, First Strike. Now, here’s how we’ll go from two NA qualifiers to the top 8 teams battling for their share of the $100K prize pool, and the title as first First Strike champion. 

The competition will begin on October 26 with our first open, 128-team tournament, produced by partner Nerd Street Gamers. The tournament will whittle down the pool to 16 teams, who will compete in our first qualifier. From there, the top four teams will advance straight to the main event, and the next four teams will advance into the second open tournament for another chance to fight for their spot in First Strike.

For any teams who don’t make the first cut, you’re in luck -- we’re holding a second open qualifier where teams can re-enter and get another shot. 

The second open tournament, produced by partner Engine Media (UMG), will start November 11. The top twelve teams will move into the second qualifier, joining the four teams from the first qualifier. From there, four more teams will make it into the First Strike event -- making a total of eight teams competing for a slice of the $100K pie. 

Players and teams interested in competing in the qualifiers can register at nerdstgamers.com/valorant (for the NSG open qualifier) and umggaming.com (for the UMG open qualifier). 

The full schedule includes: 

• Oct. 26 - 30 -- NSG Open Qualifier

• 16 teams advance to the first qualifying tournament

• Watch on Twitch (nerdstgamers or VALORANT_NA) or YouTube (VALORANT_NA)

• Nov. 4 - 8 -- NSG Tournament

• Top 4 teams advance to VALORANT First Strike Event

• Next 4 teams advance to UMG Tournament 2 (below) 

• Watch on Twitch (nerdstgamers or VALORANT_NA) or YouTube (VALORANT_NA)

• Nov. 11 - 15 -- UMG Open Qualifier

• 12 teams from UMG advance to the second qualifying tournament

• Watch on Twitch (UMGGaming or VALORANT_NA) or YouTube (VALORANT_NA)

• Nov. 18 - 22 -- UMG Tournament 

• Note: Pool includes 4 teams from NSG Tournament

• Top 4 teams advance to VALORANT First Strike Event 

• Watch on Twitch (UMGGaming or VALORANT_NA) or YouTube (VALORANT_NA)

• Dec. 3 - 6 -- VALORANT First Strike Event 

• 8 teams compete for $100K prize pool 

• Watch on Twitch (VALORANT_NA) or YouTube (VALORANT_NA)

First Strike is the first major chapter in VALORANT esports, and we’re proud to have the support of two stellar partners to bring it to life -- Nerd Street Gamers, which has already partnered with FaZe Clan and T1 to power their Ignition Series tournaments, and Engine Media/UMG, one of the most storied names in both elite and amateur competitive organizing.

“After being selected by elite organizations such as FaZe Clan and T1 to power their Ignition Series tournaments, we are elated to work with Riot in running a Nerd Street Gamers First Strike qualifier series,” said John Fazio, founder and CEO of Nerd Street Gamers. “We have built a comprehensive competitive ecosystem with our amateur VALORANT events since the game’s release, and this is an incredible launching point for what the future holds.”

“UMG has a proven history of being the hub of both elite and amateur competitive gaming, and we couldn't be more excited to support and grow the VALORANT gaming community in partnership with Riot Games,” said Lou Schwartz, Co-CEO of Engine Media. “Between Engine Media's tournament hosting and production capabilities (UMG) and its esports reporting and analytics services (Stream Hatchet), we look forward to supporting both Riot Games and the gaming community from end-to-end of their journey.”

Keep an eye on this space (PlayVALORANT.com) for more details on First Strike, and don’t forget to tune in to all three events starting with the NSG Open Qualifier on October 26!

For more VALORANT news and content, check out our dedicated VALORANT page here.

Find full schedules, brackets, and more for your favorite esports on Juked.gg!