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The 2026 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) has four international league territories—Americas, EMEA, Pacific, and China—and a season that moves from regional Kickoff and Stage events to global Masters tournaments and Champions. There is no single tournament format: brackets, group stages, match lengths, and qualification slots depend on the event.
What are the 2026 VCT regions?
Riot organizes the international VCT into four territories, using these official league names:
- VCT Americas
- VCT EMEA
- VCT Pacific
- VCT China
The 2026 League Handbook refers to them as territories when describing qualification. They are the international leagues, not a label for every national or community VALORANT competition. Riot’s 2026 VCT League Handbook and official schedule use these divisions.
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What is the 2026 VCT season schedule?
Riot’s official schedule lists the season in this order. Dates below are the schedule dates published for 2026; consult Riot’s schedule for current fixtures, results, and updates.
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| Event | Dates shown on Riot’s 2026 schedule | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Kickoff | January 15–February 15 | Regional |
| Masters Santiago | February 28–March 16 | Global |
| Stage 1 | April 1–May 24 | Regional |
| Masters London | June 6–June 21 | Global |
| Stage 2 | June 30–September 6 | Regional |
| Champions Shanghai | September 24–October 18 | Global |
The season alternates regional competition with two Masters events, then concludes with Champions. Riot’s schedule page is the place to check broadcast information and any fixture changes.
How does a team qualify for Masters Santiago and Champions?
Masters Santiago
Under Riot’s 2026 handbook, the first-, second-, and third-place teams in each territory’s Kickoff qualify for Masters Santiago. The rule is tied to the 2026 Kickoff; it should not be assumed to describe later seasons.
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Champions Shanghai
Each territory sends its top two teams from the Stage 2 playoffs, plus its top two Championship Point earners. This makes qualification a combination of Stage 2 playoff results and Championship Points rather than one universal route applying to every VCT event. The specific 2026 rules are in Riot’s League Handbook.
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What is the VALORANT tournament format?
There is no single format for all VCT competitions. The number of teams, bracket or group structure, match length, and qualification places vary by event. These 2026 examples show the differences:
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| 2026 event | Teams and structure | Match format and progression |
|---|---|---|
| Kickoff | 12-team triple-elimination bracket. The four teams that qualified for Champions in 2025 receive first-round byes. | Riot’s handbook describes the bracket and byes; the cited format description does not state match lengths. |
| Champions Shanghai | 16 teams in four GSL groups; the top two from each group advance to an eight-team double-elimination playoff. | Group matches are best of three (Bo3). The lower final and grand final are best of five (Bo5). |
| VCT Americas Stage 1 | Two groups of six play single round robins. The top four in each group advance to double-elimination playoffs; three teams qualify for Masters London. | Group matches are Bo3. This is the Americas Stage 1 format described in Riot’s March 19, 2026 explainer, not a rule for every territory or split. |
For the event-specific rules, see Riot’s 2026 League Handbook and its VCT Americas Stage 1 format explainer.
Where can you find current VALORANT team rosters?
An event schedule or qualification list names participating organizations; it is not a player-by-player roster directory. The official 2026 event material does not provide a complete, dependable lineup for all four territories, so organization names alone should not be used to infer active players, substitutes, or roles.
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For a specific lineup, use the current official team or event page and check it on the date you need the information. Player eligibility, signings, and substitutions can change the lineup independently of an event’s organization list.
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Riot’s April 8, 2026 announcement says the VCT plans to move to an open-qualification, tournament-oriented model in 2027. Riot said open qualifiers would feed new Cups and create opportunities to reach Masters and Champions, writing: “Starting in 2027, the path to all Masters and Champions will begin with Open Qualifiers available to any team across the world.”
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This is a planned change for 2027, not the qualification rule for the 2026 season. Riot said further details—including regional calendars, slot allocations, Game Changers details, and event locations—would be shared later, so those specifics should not be treated as settled in the announcement. Read Riot’s April 8, 2026 VCT update.
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