VALORANT Masters returns, and this time — in Toronto. From June 7 to 22, 2025, the twelve best VALORANT teams from four regions will compete for a $1,000,000 prize pool. In this article, we take a closer look at the Swiss Stage, which will kick off one of the four major tournaments of 2025.

Swiss Stage Format:

• Eight teams
• All matches are bo3
• The top four advance to the playoffs, where four more teams awaitThe other four teams are eliminated from the tournament

Round 1 Matches

• Team Heretics (1.65) vs Paper Rex (2.10) — June 7, 19:00 CET
• Bilibili Gaming (2.35) vs Team Liquid (1.52) — June 7, 22:00 CET
• Sentinels (1.10) vs Wolves Esports (5.80) — June 8, 19:00 CET
• Gen.G (1.62) vs MIBR (2.15) — June 8, 22:00 CET

Odds are provided by Stake and are up to date at the time of publication.    

Absence of EDward Gaming and a Chance for the Chinese Scene

This is the first international event in recent years that EDward Gaming — the leaders of the Chinese scene — will miss. Instead, two new teams will attend the tournament: XLG Esports and Wolves Esports, who will have the chance to gain experience and prove that China has more than just one strong team.

Team Liquid’s Problems

Team Liquid will play on the very first day of the tournament, but one of their players — Ayaz "nAts" Akhmetshin — did not manage to get his visa in time for the first match against Bilibili Gaming, and might not attend Masters Toronto 2025 at all. He will be replaced by Erik "penny" Penny, who has not played on the tier-1 scene for quite some time. Because of this, the team risks not making it past the Swiss Stage — just like they did at Masters Bangkok 2025, even with their full lineup.

First Masters for MIBR

MIBR has been part of the VCT franchised league since 2023, but only in 2025 did they manage to qualify for a Masters event. This became possible after Erick "aspas" Santos — one of the best duelists on the VALORANT scene — joined the team. Their form during VCT 2025: Americas Stage 1 was impressive. If they continue like this, they have a good chance to make it to the group stage.

Masters Toronto 2025 Prize Pool Distribution

The total prize pool for Masters Toronto 2025 is $1,000,000, which is $500,000 more than what was offered at Masters Bangkok 2025. The lion’s share — 35% — will go to the first-place team. Full details, including the distribution of VCT circuit points, are provided in the table below.  

The Swiss Stage of Masters Toronto 2025 will take place from June 7 to 11, where four more teams will be determined to advance to the playoff stage, where they will be joined by the Stage 1 regional champions: G2 Esports, Fnatic, XLG Esports, and Rex Regum Qeon.