VCT Americas 2026 Kickoff schedule, teams, format, and more

The new season of VCT is starting with Kickoff, a regional tournament where teams compete for spots at Masters Santiago in February. If you’re interested in everything that’s happening during the 2026 Kickoff in the Americas region, we’ve got you covered.

Here’s everything you need to know about the VCT Americas 2026 Kickoff schedule, standings, teams, new format, and a lot more.

Table of contents

All teams in VCT Americas 2026 Kickoff

The competition will be fierce. Image via Riot Games

As with every region in VCT 2026, 12 teams are competing in Kickoff Americas for three qualification spots to Masters Santiago. 10 teams are official partners, while G2 Esports and ENVY entered the league through Ascension.

Here are all the participating Americas teams:

1. 100 Thieves
2. Cloud9
3. Evil Geniuses
4. Furia
5. KRÜ Esports
6. Leviatán
7. LOUD
8. MIBR
9. NRG
10. Sentinels
11. G2 Esports (Ascended)
12. ENVY (Ascended)

G2 Esports, NRG, Mibr, and Sentinels all qualified for Champions Paris in 2025 and start the event in the second round.

New triple elimination format

Three finals, three Masters spots. Image via Riot Games

Kickoff 2026 introduces the triple elimination format to VALORANT esports events. This means every team has three lives before getting eliminated from the tournament, unlike the usual two. Teams start in the upper bracket, and then drop down to the middle and lower brackets with each loss.

The event culminates with a final in each of the three brackets, with every winner securing a spot at Masters Santiago later this year. Each final is a best-of-five (BO5) matchup, while all other series follow best-of-three (BO3) rules.

Top teams also earn Championship Points to qualify for VALORANT Champions Shanghai. Winner gets 4 points, 2nd place secures 3 points, 3rd place gets 2 points, and 4th place gets 1 point. At the end of the 2026 season, the two teams with the most points in the region qualify for Champions.

How to watch VCT Americas 2026 Kickoff

You can watch the VCT Americas 2026 Kickoff on the official VCT Americas Twitch and YouTube channels. There are also livestreams in Spanish (Twitch) and Portuguese (Twitch and YouTube) on their respective channels if it’s more suitable for you. There’s still time to get tickets and watch the event at the venue in Los Angeles, if you prefer to be there in person.

VCT Americas 2026 Kickoff schedule

Mark the last week in your calendars. Image via Riot Games

The VCT Americas 2026 Kickoff runs from Jan. 15 to Feb. 15, and the games are spread out a bit more compared to EMEA. The first week kicks off with the first round and quarterfinals in the upper bracket, after which the first batch of teams drops down to the middle bracket.

The second week is all about the middle bracket, with six matches across the first two rounds. Week three sees the upper bracket semifinals, opening matches in the lower bracket, and the middle bracket quarterfinals. Week four continues with lower bracket matches and a middle bracket semifinals.

Finally, the last week of Kickoff wraps up the lower bracket games alongside back-to-back finals for every bracket.

Jan. 15 (Upper bracket round one)

• 4pm CT: ENVY vs Evil Geniuses
• 7pm CT: LOUD vs Cloud9

Jan. 16 (Upper bracket round one)

• 4pm CT: KRÜ Esports vs FURIA
• 7pm CT: 100 Thieves vs Leviatán Esports

Jan. 17 (Upper bracket quarterfinals)

• 4pm CT: TBD vs NRG
• 7pm CT: TBD vs MIBR

Jan. 18 (Upper bracket quarterfinals)

• 4pm CT: TBD vs Sentinels
• 7pm CT: TBD vs G2 Esports

Scores and the schedule will be updated as the event progresses.

---