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Choose the team you’ll enjoy following between tournaments, not simply the one that went furthest at Champions. Start with a region whose matches fit your schedule, then compare players, play style, season-long form, and the stories and community content you want to keep up with. You do not need to predict the next champion to become a fan.
Start with a region you can follow
VALORANT’s top regional competition is organized into four International Leagues: Americas, China (CN), EMEA, and Pacific. Region is a useful first filter because it narrows the teams and local scenes you might follow—and match hours can make a real difference to whether you watch regularly. Riot describes the International Leagues and their relationship to Challengers on its VALORANT competition overview.
Choose a region based on the teams and players that interest you, but also consider when its matches are usually watchable where you live. The official schedule is the best place to check specific match times; they can vary by event and time zone.
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Champions Shanghai is scheduled for September 24–October 18, 2026. As of October 4, the event is still in progress: group stage is scheduled through October 4, playoffs begin October 7, and the grand final is set for October 18. Do not treat the current bracket as a final result or infer a champion before the event ends.
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The 2026 tournament has 16 teams in four GSL groups, with two teams advancing from each group. Group matches are best-of-three; the eight playoff teams then enter a double-elimination bracket. That structure creates a concentrated chance to sample teams, but a short run—or one elimination match—is only a snapshot of form, not a reliable verdict on who you’ll enjoy following across a season. See Riot’s Champions Shanghai event guide and official standings and event page.
Compare the teams that caught your attention
Keep a short list rather than trying to select a forever favorite immediately. Watch more than one series when possible, and compare the same factors for each candidate:
- Players: Did you find yourself rooting for a particular player? Check the current roster in Riot’s Global Contract Database and competition resources before attaching your fandom to a lineup; rosters can change.
- Play style: Notice whether you enjoy the team’s pace, coordination, clutch rounds, and agent compositions. Prefer the games you like watching over a style that is merely fashionable.
- Form across the season: Look beyond one Champions match. Recent results across multiple series give a broader picture than a single upset or elimination, though form still does not guarantee future success.
- Story: You may be drawn to a team’s underdog run, rebuild, established rivalry, or return to form. Pick a story you would still care about if the next result goes against them.
- Content and community: Check whether you actually like the team’s interviews, highlights, social posts, and fan community. Those are often what keep a team in your feed between matches.
- Convenience: Consider match times, language, and how easy it is to find coverage you enjoy. A team you can follow comfortably may be a better fit than one you only watched because it reached the final stages.
Riot’s Champions Pick’Ems article points to stats, recent form, favorite players, team loyalty, and personal “vibes” as ways people make predictions. Those can also prompt useful questions about your preferences, but they are not evidence that a particular preference predicts future winners.
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Who qualified for Champions Shanghai in 2026?
The official standings list these 16 qualifiers for the 2026 event. They are a dated snapshot of this year’s field, not a promise that the same teams or rosters will appear in 2027.
| Region | 2026 Champions qualifiers |
|---|---|
| Americas | NRG, G2, LOUD, 100 Thieves |
| EMEA | Vitality, FUT, Team Liquid, Karmine Corp |
| Pacific | Paper Rex, Nongshim RedForce, Global Esports, T1 |
| China (CN) | JD Gaming, XLG, TYLOO, EDward Gaming |
For qualification and match results, use the official Champions standings and pay attention to whether matches are completed. A tournament field is useful for finding candidates; it is not a complete guide to which teams will remain active or how their rosters will look next season.
Why a team may change after Champions
VALORANT’s competitive structure gives teams routes into the top tier as well as established league identities. Riot’s league overview describes 10 partnered teams in each International League alongside two teams ascending through Challengers. For the 2026 season specifically, Riot announced a Path to Champions that replaced Ascension: Challengers teams could enter Stage 2 Playoffs and compete with International League teams, with Stage 2 qualification and Championship Points also helping determine Champions places. That is the 2026 system, not a guarantee of the 2027 format.
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Riot also said each territory would have four Challenger teams qualify for 2026 Stage 2 Playoffs and that it would provide a $75,000 stipend to each Challenger team that qualified, to help with travel, visas, and attendance. These details illustrate why the competitive picture can change; they do not establish which teams will qualify under a future season’s rules. Riot’s 2026 season-start announcement explains that year’s format.
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Keep following the team after the event
- Follow official coverage: Riot points fans to the official VALORANT Esports Twitch and YouTube channels and its social accounts. Use them for matches, highlights, and announcements.
- Check the next schedule: Use the official competition schedule rather than assuming the next event begins immediately after Champions.
- Recheck the roster: Consult Riot’s Global Contract Database and current team announcements before relying on an old bracket or roster graphic.
- Follow the team’s own channels: Look for interviews, clips, and updates that make the team engaging between events.
For Champions Shanghai, Riot also lists Twitch desktop Shotcall and event-specific watch rewards. Those offers and eligibility are tied to this event and may vary by region; do not assume they will carry over to a later season. Details are on Riot’s Champions Shanghai watch-and-earn page.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Do you need to buy something to support a team?
No. Watching matches and following a team’s channels are enough. If you want an in-game way to show support, Riot’s January 6, 2026 announcement describes digital Team Capsules containing a Classic skin, tracker inspect, animated player card, spray, and gun buddy. Riot listed the standard price as 2,320 VP, or 1,650 VP for buyers eligible for its repeat-buyer discount. These are VALORANT cosmetics, not physical merchandise; check the game for current availability and your eligibility.
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Riot reported that it shared $100 million with VCT teams in 2025 through its capsules-related program. That is Riot’s reported figure, not a guarantee of a particular team’s earnings or a recurring annual amount. The capsule details and figure are in Riot’s 2026 Team Capsules announcement.
If you like a whole region but are not ready to back one team, Riot’s 2026 Season Capsule is a separate digital in-game option representing a region. Riot says its revenue is split equally across VCT teams. It is optional; a regional cosmetic and an individual team capsule express different kinds of support.
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