Riot Games has revealed its plans for VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) next year and beyond, and the VCT 2026 roadmap starts a bold new era for the competitive shooter.
The global tour next year takes us to twice as many locations, featuring more games and more teams, including Challengers teams in the new Path to Champions, closing the gap between tier one and tier two scenes. Riot also announced format overhauls, including the shift to triple-elimination for Kickoff and expanded Masters events.
Here’s everything you need to know about the VCT 2026 roadmap, including the tournaments, Challengers Path to Champions, and more changes.
VCT 2026 event schedule
2026 marks the international debut of Latin America and the UK, as they are set to host their first-ever global VCT events. LATAM hosts Masters 1 in Santiago, Chile, marking Riot’s first return to South America since LOCK//IN. It is followed by Masters 2 in London, bringing VCT back to Europe.
Here’s the roadmap of VCT 2026 events:
- Kickoff: Jan. 15 – Feb. 15
- Masters Santiago: Feb. 28 – Mar. 15
- Stage 1: Mar. 31 – May 10
- Stage 1 playoffs: May 6 – May 24
- Masters London: June 6 – June 21
- Stage 2: June 30 – Aug. 16
- Stage 2 playoffs: Aug. 5 – Sept. 6
- Champions Shanghai: Sept. 24 – Oct. 18
- Game Changers Championship: Oct. – Nov.
Kickoff is a regional tournament where teams within each league (EMEA, Americas, Pacific, and China) compete for three spots at Masters Santiago in a triple elimination format. This is because the first Masters now hosts 12 teams instead of 10.
After Masters Santiago, each international league enters Stage 1. Teams in each region compete through a series of round robin matches in two groups of six. The top four teams from each group head into the playoffs to fight for a spot at Masters London. Once Masters London is concluded, the regional leagues enter Stage 2.
Stage 2 turns things up with play-ins. After the round robin, the top two teams from each group head straight into the playoffs, while the rest enter the double-elimination bracket against the top four regional Challenger teams. The top four teams from play-ins advance to Stage 2 playoffs to fight for a spot at Champions. This creates more opportunities for teams to come back during Stage 2, but the bottom two teams from the play-ins will be up in the loser’s bracket at the start of the playoffs.
Champions 2026 features 16 teams, four from each region. Teams can either qualify by reaching the top two in their respective Stage 2 playoffs or by earning the most Championship Points throughout the season among those who didn’t qualify. Championship Points are awarded for high placements at playoffs, as well as match wins during Stage 1 and Stage 2.
VCT 2026 event locations
VCT 2026 takes the circuit to twice as many locations as before, for both international league and global events. VALORANT Champions 2026 is held in Shanghai. Not only that, VCT CN circuit has its own roadshow, with the entire 2026 circuit visiting five cities across the region throughout the season.
Here are all live events and their locations for VCT 2026:
- VCT EMEA (Kickoff, Stage 1, Stage 2): Berlin, Germany
- VCT Americas (Kickoff, Stage 1, Stage 2): Los Angeles, US
- VCT CN (Kickoff, Stage 1, Stage 2): China roadshow
- VCT Pacific (Kickoff, Stage 1, Stage 2): Seoul, South Korea
- Masters 1: Santiago, Chile
- Masters 2: London, UK
- VCT EMEA Stage 2 playoffs: Madrid, Spain
- VCT Americas Stage 2 playoffs: São Paulo, Brazil
- VCT Pacific Stage 2 playoffs: Busan, South Korea
- VCT CN Stage 2 playoffs: Chengdu, China
- Champions: Shanghai
Another new addition to the season is the Stage 2 playoffs destination event. Each league hosts the playoffs as a live event in a new location, which are Madrid for EMEA, São Paulo for Americas, Busan for Pacific, and Chengdu for CN.
Challengers Path to Champions
VCT Ascension is gone, paving the way for a new system that opens the door for Challengers teams to play against partnered teams in their respective Stage 2 playoffs.
Each international league sends four Challengers teams to the Stage 2 playoffs, and Riot has confirmed it will cover travel expenses and provide a $75,000 financial stipend to the qualified teams. This is done to reduce the load on tier-two organizations, allowing them to focus more on their performance and invest in better staff.
The exact slot allocation for Challengers teams depends on the region:
- VCT Americas: The top team from North America and Brazil Challengers each gets a slot. Top team from LATAM North and LATAM South. The winner of the Last Chance Qualifier featuring the NA 2nd seed, the Brazil 2nd seed, and the loser of the LATAM finals.
- VCT EMEA: Top four seeds from Challengers EMEA by points.
- VCT Pacific: The top team from Challengers Southeast Asia, Japan, and Korea each gets a slot. The last slot is determined by a Last Chance Qualifier between the top team from South Asia, the top team from Oceania, and the 2nd and 3rd seeds from Southeast Asia.
- VCT CN: Additional details on the VCT CN qualification path will be shared in the coming weeks.
Challengers enter the competition in the play-ins stage and fight all the way through the double elimination bracket and then the playoffs bracket for a chance to qualify for Champions. It’s a long route with very little room for error, but that’s what it takes to play on the largest stage in the VCT.
Introducing triple elimination for VCT 2026 Kickoff
All major VCT events in 2026 aim for more bracket-style play, with round robin and playoff stages replacing the previous Swiss and group stages. Kickoff also introduces a triple elimination format, allowing teams to lose up to three matches before they are eliminated.
Teams start in the upper bracket with a random seeding. With every loss, they drop down to the middle and then lower brackets. The winner of every bracket secures a spot at Masters Santiago, so there’s always a chance for your favorite team to make it to the first global event of the year.
The 2026 roadmap of the VALORANT esports scene looks exciting and is the biggest year of VCT we’ve ever seen, with more international venues and more accessible pathways for teams to enter the tier one circuit.
