Garena has just announced important updates for the Arena of Valor Premier League (APL) 2025, which will soon kick off the official Play-ins round with the participation of 16 teams from three domestic tournaments and the Wildcard round.
After three weeks of competition, the four best teams will move to the vibrant center of Southeast Asia to compete in the semi-finals and finals. Set for July 19 to 20, the final round of the tournament will take place at BITEC Live Hall, one of Bangkok's leading locations, ready to welcome fans to witness the birth of the next international champion Lien Quan Mobile.
APL 2025 has updates compared to the usual format. The addition of the Wildcard round helps expand the regional representative from 4 to 6 teams, creating opportunities for more talented opponents.
The main Play-ins round will then start with Swiss Stage, gathering 16 teams - domestic tournaments: Arena of Glory (AOG), Garena Challenger Series (GCS), RoV Pro League (RPL) will have 4 representatives, along with 4 teams from the Wildcard round.
The Swiss Stage draw will take place on June 17. The top seeds from AOG, GCS and RPL are guaranteed not to face each other at this stage.
Swiss Stage Round (from June 22 to July 6)
After the end of the Wildcard Round, the last 4 teams were revealed to participate in the main Play-ins round. The list of teams participating in the Swiss Stage round includes:
- AOG region (Vietnam) includes 4 teams: Saigon Phantom, FPT x Flash, Box gaming, One Star Esports.
- The GCS region in Taiwan (China) includes 4 teams: Flash Wolves, BanMei Gaming, Cathay one Team, Hong Kong Attitude.
- The RPL area (Thailand) includes 4 teams: eArena, Bacon Time, Buriram United Esports, Talon.
- Wildcard round includes 4 teams: ANK gaming (GCS), Super Nova (AOG), Full sense (RPL), Deep Cross Gaming (GCS).
Play-off round (from July 10 to 13.)
The Play-off phase will be played in a win- lose-win format, combining matches according to BO5 and BO7. The International Banning & Choice Law is applied to increase diversity in tactics.
Semi-final and final rounds (from July 19-20,)
The semi-finals and finals will take place directly in Bangkok with a BO7 knockout format, the final stage promises dramatic top performances to find the new champion of the tournament.
