VALORANT 2026 competitive season wraps up in Shanghai, where this year’s Champions takes place. The best teams compete on the biggest VCT stage, and you can earn rewards by predicting who will lift the trophy.
Here’s everything you need to know about VALORANT Pick’Ems for VCT 2026 Champions Shanghai and how to earn rewards.
Quick summary
- You can earn up to four rewards from VCT 2026 Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems.
- Group stage Pick’Ems are available from Sept. 10 until Sept. 24.
- Playoffs Pick’Ems are available from Oct. 4 until Oct. 7.
All VCT 2026 Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems rewards
As always, the Pick’Ems event offers four rewards: a participation title, exclusive gun buddies for hitting the top 50 and top 20 percent on the leaderboard, and the coveted 100% title for getting every prediction right across both stages.
Here are all the VCT 2026 Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems rewards and requirements:
- All eligible participants: Calculated title
- Top 50 percent: Stone of Heaven gun buddy
- Top 20 percent: Pick’Ems Master: Stone of Heaven golden gun buddy
- Perfect picks: 100% title
The rewards are cumulative, and leaderboard standing includes the results for both tournament stages (group stage and playoffs). So, if you get perfect picks, you get all the rewards available in the Pick’Ems event. The Calculated title isn’t tied to correct predictions – you get it as soon as you make your first picks for the group stage.
How to get VCT 2026 Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems rewards
To make your picks and earn VCT 2026 Champions Pick’Ems rewards, head to the esports tab in VALORANT or use the official website. Select the upcoming stage (Group or Playoffs) and pick your teams. Correct and partial picks grant points that put you on the global leaderboard.
Here are the dates during which Pick’Ems are open for each stage:
- Group stage: Sept. 10, 10am CT – Sept. 24, 4am CT.
- Playoffs: Oct. 4, after the Draw Show – Oct. 7, 4am CT.
After the Pick’Ems window closes, you won’t be able to change your picks.
For the group stage, every group plays a small double-elimination bracket with four teams, one from each region. You must pick the two teams in each group that you think will advance to the Playoffs and the two that will get eliminated. To make picks easier, open the bracket for each group to view matchups.
The order in which you pick the teams matters to get maximum points. The first team advances through the upper bracket with a 2:0 score, while the second advances through the lower bracket with a 2:1 score. The same goes for the third and fourth places that get eliminated. The third team goes out at 1:2, and the fourth at 0:2.
The playoffs are a bigger double-elimination bracket, featuring the top two teams from each group. The final seeding will be decided during the Draw Show on Oct. 4, after which you can start making your picks.
VCT 2026 Champions Shanghai predictions
Predicting the tournament’s results is tricky. The teams are always polishing their strats, and every event has plenty of surprises and upsets. On top of that, the teams are coming out of Stage 2, which was a regional league. Things can always play out differently when regions clash on the global stage.
You can get an idea of how strong the teams are by looking at official power rankings:
| Team | Global ranking | Region | W/L record | 2026 international event placements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GLOBAL ESPORTS | #2 | Pacific | 16W – 12L | 10th at Masters London |
| 100 Thieves | #3 | Americas | 17W – 8L | – |
| Paper Rex | #4 | Pacific | 26W – 11L | 2nd at Masters Santiago 2nd at Masters London |
| NONGSHIM REDFORCE | #5 | Pacific | 17W – 8L | 1st at Masters Santiago |
| T1 | #6 | Pacific | 20W – 9L | 10th at Masters Santiago |
| LOUD | #7 | Americas | 10W – 10L | – |
| NRG | #8 | Americas | 21W – 12L | 3rd at Masters Santiago 9th at Masters London |
| Karmine Corp | #9 | EMEA | 8W – 9L | – |
| Team Liquid | #10 | EMEA | 18W – 11L | 9th at Masters Santiago |
| Team Vitality | #11 | EMEA | 16W – 12L | 4th at Masters London |
| G2 Esports | #12 | Americas | 23W – 13L | 4th at Masters Santiago 8th at Masters London |
| TYLOO GAMING | #13 | CN | 18W – 10L | – |
| FUT Esports | #20 | EMEA | 15W – 13L | 6th at Masters London |
| EDWARD Gaming | #21 | CN | 21W – 11L | 11th at Masters Santiago 3rd at Masters London |
| Xi Lai Gaming | #28 | CN | 20W – 12L | 12th at Masters Santiago 5th at Masters London |
| JD Gaming | #35 | CN | 13W – 16L | – |
Power rankings still don’t paint a full picture, though. At the time of writing, GLOBAL ESPORTS is #2 on the leaderboard behind Leviatán Esports (who didn’t qualify for Champions), while Paper Rex is #4.
However, Paper Rex has way more games under its belt and two runner-up placements at Masters this season. Its Stage 2 run wasn’t that exciting, but could’ve allowed the team to focus more on its approach for Champions.
It’s also worth considering how teams fared against each other at previous global events, even though the strategies could’ve changed.
FAQ
How many teams qualified for VCT 2026 Champions Shanghai?
There are 16 teams at VCT 2026 Champions Shanghai. Four teams from each region. The top eight teams from the group stage advance to the playoffs.
How to earn points at VCT 2026 Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems?
To earn points, correctly predict matchup results throughout the tournament stages: group stage and playoffs.
How rare is the 100% title in VALORANT?
While there are no specific stats, it’s almost impossible to get the title, as it requires you to guess every group and every bracket in the tournament.
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