Women-only FTW Summer Showdown event added to Ignition Series

gabhernandez Published 11/09/2020

Nerd Street Gamers and Riot are teaming up to host an all-women Valorant tournament that sports a $50,000 prize pool.

The event will take place September 11 to 13. The For The Women Summer Showdown is a part of the Ignition Series, which is a global series of tournaments created by Riot Games in partnership with many different organizations. FTW is a resource group dedicated to connecting, supporting, and inspiring the growth and advancement of women in gaming.

This isn’t the first Summer Showdown tournament. FTW recently ran an invitational tournament that had a $10,000 prize pool. This tournament is being structured similarly, with eight amateur, professional, and content creator teams. The amateur teams were chosen on September 5 when GALorants, a women’s Valorant Discord community, held a qualifier where four additional team spots were up for grabs. 

Women-only tournaments have been on the rise in recent years, with many becoming annual events. Organizations such as DIGNITAS, Counter Logic Gaming, and Gen.G have added all-female teams to their rosters, and there has been an increase in women playing at the highest levels of esports. The DIGNITAS Female squad will be competing in the FTW Summer Showdown, as will multiple former members of the CLG Red team.

In a press release, FTW states it’s working closely with Nerd Street Gamers to “help foster a dynamic amateur-to-pro pipeline, furthering its mission to champion an inclusive space for women and their allies.” 

“Competing as a female in games is a daunting task for many reasons, so when we heard of Nerd Street Gamers’ and Spectacor Gaming’s FTW Summer Showdown, we knew we wanted to throw our support behind the tournament and elevate it to the level of our Valorant Ignition Series,” said Anna Donlon, executive producer of Valorant at Riot Games.

Competition will begin on September 11 and can be watched on the Nerd Street Gamers Twitch channel. The tournament starts with group-stage play and all matches are best-of-one. Playoffs are an eight-team single-bracket elimination in a best-of-three format.

Read Also

Kick

Here’s a Rundown of the Major New Features and Improvements on Kick in August 2026 Khizar Mundia Kick Director Ethan Wright has shared several new features that were introduced on the platform in August, also revealing that the team will continue to “push out great updates after great updates”. Livestreaming platform Kick is serious about introducing new features and making changes to improve the experience for both streamers and viewers. The Kick GO Live mobile app may be the standout addition the livestreaming platform has made in ...

Twitch

xQc Talks Subathons and Reveals Why He Avoids Them Khizar Mundia Félix “xQc” Lengyel is a major force in the streaming world, with his earnings being among the highest in the industry. However, despite this success, xQc has never done subathons — and the Kick streamer has revealed his reasons. Subathons have become an important element in the streaming world, as they are both engaging for viewers and beneficial for creators. Kai Cenat is arguably the most famous streamer who made ...

News

Here Is Every Major Announcement at Sony’s September State of Play Zachary Roberts The latest Sony State of Play was on September 3 at 9 am ET, and as usual, plenty of interesting games were announced and shown off. These, like a Nintendo Direct or Xbox Showcase, always end up being one of the most exciting times of the year for gamers. PlayStation often has great exclusives, so it's always worth seeing what they're working on. Interestingly enough, the first showcase wasn't game-related. ...

Kick

Kick Joins GTA RP Trend — Here’s What Partnership With Prodigy Entails Khizar Mundia The GTA RP community has been consistently growing, and Kick has just partnered with Prodigy, which displays the livestreaming platform’s interest in the scene. Here’s information about the partnership and why Kick may have entered the GTA RP scene right now. Kick has been trying to expand its esports base for some time, and its recent partnership with Riot Games has created ample opportunity for the platform. However, gaming remains ...

Slots

True Labs Set To Change Direction With New CEO Ben Boland True Labs started life as an experimental crypto casino in 2018 within the True Flip Group and has since evolved into an independent entity, boasting more than 40 crypto casino games and a network of supporting partners. Its evolution is set to continue with the appointment of a new CEO on September 1, 2026, with Sergey Glamazda confirmed as the Malta-based company’s new chief executive. Before joining True Labs, Glamazda ...

GTA

Rockstar Backs NoPixel V — What GTA 6 Means for GTA RP Khizar Mundia GTA 6 is about to release, and Rockstar has decided that it is the optimal time to announce that its collaborative GTA RP, NoPixel V, is about to enter closed beta. Roleplaying has been a major element in GTA, with several gaming streamers building their entire brand and community around it. NoPixel Studios is one of the most famous names in GTA RP, and NoPixel V is the newest version, ...

News

Kevin Hart Set To Host Major Pragmatic Play Live Casino Event Ben Boland Kevin Hart is joining forces with Pragmatic Play to host a live casino event that looks set to pack a serious punch. Hart is famed for starring in blockbusters such as Jumanji and Ride Along, and also as a stand-up comedian who has delivered his uniquely comic observations to audiences around the world. He will now act live dealer host for a packed two-day event in November. Pragmatic Play is ...