VCT 2026 schedule and teams confirmed

Hannah Marie ZT, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 03/12/2025

Riot Games has confirmed the full VCT 2026 schedule, from January’s Kickoff to September and October’s Shanghai Championship. 

Here are all the key tournament dates and every team confirmed to compete in the franchise next year. 

All VCT 2026 schedule dates

As the highest competitive circuit in Valorant Esports, the VCT (Valorant Champions Tour) is set for another thrilling year.

VCT 2026 will also include Tier 2 teams’ participation in the VCT Path to Champions, with updates to stipends, regional slots, and eligibility for Challenger teams already released ahead of the season. 

The Path to Champions allows Challenger (Tier 2) teams to qualify for the Stage 2 Playoffs and Championship. 

On the standard VCT Tier 1 competitive map, points are available at the conclusion of different matches and events, all of which go toward determining which teams qualify for the VCT 2026 championship in Shanghai. 

The complete Tier 1 VCT 2026 schedule is as follows: 

• VCT Kickoff: January 15th – February 15th
• VALORANT Masters Santiago: February 28th – March 15th
• VCT Stage 1: March 31st – May 10th
• VCT Stage 1 Playoffs: May 6th – 24th
• VALORANT Masters London: June 6th – 21st
• VCT Stage 2: June 30th – August 16th
• VCT Season Finals: August 5th – September 6th
• VALORANT Champions Shanghai: September 24th – October 18th
• VALORANT Game Changers Championship: October/November (complete dates TBC)

Kickoff and Stage 1 formats confirmed

VCT Kickoff, the first event of VCT 2026, will introduce a new Triple Elimination Bracket to the Valorant Esports ecosystem. 

All twelve squads begin in the upper bracket, with teams that competed in the VCT Paris 2025 Championship receiving a higher seeding directly to the upper bracket round two. 

As with any traditional bracket system, losing a match pushes a team into a lower bracket. 

However, now teams must lose three matches before being knocked out, descending from the upper bracket to the middle bracket, then to the lower bracket. 

Instead of the usual Grand Final format, VCT Kickoff 2026 will end when three teams from the region gain qualification. The team that wins the upper bracket qualification receives the highest placement, followed by the qualified team from the middle bracket, then the lower bracket teams. 

The regional starting dates for Kickoff are as follows: 

• The Americas: January 15th 
• EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa): January 20th 
• China: January 22nd
• The Pacific: January 22nd

These regional Kickoff tournaments will determine which teams qualify for Valorant Masters Santiago. 

Unlike past VCT Masters tournaments, the top three teams from each region will earn qualification slots. This means that Valorant Masters Santiago will feature a 12-team lineup rather than 8. 

Meanwhile, Stage 1 will take place between March 31st and May 10th, with the Stage 1 Playoffs between May 6th and May 24th. This will determine which teams qualify for the Valorant Masters in London. 

Teams competing in each VCT 2026 region 

Americas – All VCT 2026 teams: 

• 100 Thieves 
• Cloud 9 
• Evil Geniuses 
• FURIA 
• KRÜ Esports 
• Leviatán
• LOUD 
• MIBR
• NRG
• Sentinels 
• G2 Esports 
• ENVY

EMEA – All VCT 2026 teams:

• BBL Esports 
• Fnatic 
• FUT Espots 
• Karmine Corp 
• Natus Vincere 
• Team Heretics 
• Team Liquid 
• Team Vitality 
• GIANTX
• Gentle Mates 
• ULF Esports 
• PCIFIC Esports 

China – All VCT 2026 teams:

• All Gamers 
• Bilibili Gaming 
• EDward Gaming 
• FunPlus Phoenix 
• JD Gaming 
• Nova Esports 
• Titan Esports Club 
• Trace Esports 
• TYLOO 
• Wolves Esports 
• XLG Esports 
• Dragon Ranger Gaming

Pacific – All VCT 2026 teams:

• DetonatioN FocusMe 
• DRX
• Gen.G Esports 
• Global Esports 
• Paper Rex 
• Rex Regum Qeon 
• T1
• Team Secret 
• ZETA DIVISION 
• SLT 
• Nongshim RedForce 
• Final Partner Team TBC

The final Pacific team is yet to be determined. This is due to Riot removing PSG Talon from the LCP (League of Legends) and VCT due to “significant” payment delays.  

All other regions have every team confirmed, including all ascension-qualified teams and partnered team changes or replacements. 

Hannah Marie ZT, Senior Editor

Hannah is a journalist specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports, Apex Legends, and advocating for women's esports initiatives. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ALGS LANs, ESI London, EGX, and watch parties.

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