The countdown is over: Starting tomorrow, September 24, 2026, the ball – or rather, the Spike – will drop in Shanghai for VALORANT Champions 2026. 16 teams from all four VCT regions will compete until October 18 for the world championship title and a total prize pool of $2.25 million, with $1 million alone going to the winning team. Notably: This is the last Champions tournament under the current franchise format before the VALORANT Champions Tour returns to open qualifiers in 2027.
Which Teams Are Participating in VALORANT Champions 2026?
Four teams from each of the four international leagues have qualified – making a total of 16 teams vying for the title in Shanghai. From VCT Americas, 100 Thieves, LOUD, NRG, and G2 Esports are participating; from VCT EMEA, Karmine Corp, Team Liquid, FUT Esports, and Team Vitality are sending their rosters into the race. The China region is represented by TYLOO, JD Gaming, EDward Gaming, and Xi Lai Gaming (XLG), while Global Esports, Nongshim RedForce, Paper Rex, and T1 are traveling from VCT Pacific. Among the current top favorites are primarily Paper Rex, G2 Esports, Team Vitality, and the two Chinese top teams TYLOO and EDward Gaming, who are under particular scrutiny in their home country.
In the group stage, the 16 teams were deliberately distributed so that each group contains one team per region – meaning regional matchups will only occur in the playoffs at the earliest. Specifically, this is how it looks: Group A consists of 100 Thieves, T1, JD Gaming, and FUT Esports; Group B of Global Esports, Team Vitality, LOUD, and EDward Gaming; Group C of TYLOO, G2 Esports, Team Liquid, and Paper Rex; and Group D of Karmine Corp, XLG, Nongshim RedForce, and NRG.
What is the Schedule for the Tournament in Shanghai?
The group stage runs from September 24 to October 4 and will be held at the Jing’an Sports Center in Shanghai, which can accommodate around 5,600 spectators. Matches there will be played in a GSL double-elimination format, with all matches taking place in a Best-of-3 series. The top two teams from each group will then advance to the playoffs, which will run from October 7 to October 18. For the semifinals and grand final, the venue will switch to the significantly larger Mercedes-Benz Arena in the Pudong district, with nearly 18,000 seats. In the playoffs, the remaining eight teams will play in a double-elimination bracket, though only the Lower Bracket Final and the Grand Final will be contested in a Best-of-5 series.
For those who want to follow live, streams, the schedule, and all results can be found on the official VALORANT Esports page. Basic information about the game itself is, as usual, available on Riot Games’ official VALORANT website.
What Changes in 2027 with the New Tournament Format?
The fact that Shanghai, of all places, is hosting the final Champions tournament of the old era is no coincidence, but a deliberately chosen statement. Since the introduction of the VCT franchise in 2023, permanent partner teams had guaranteed slots in their regional leagues – a model that provided financial stability but left little room for newcomers. In April 2026, Riot Games announced a fundamental overhaul of this system starting in the 2027 season: Instead of guaranteed league spots, open qualifiers will take center stage, through which any team can essentially apply for VCT Cups, Masters, and Champions. While partner teams will remain part of the ecosystem, they will now have to re-qualify through a new two-year cycle instead of being able to rely on a permanent spot. For fans, this means more permeability and potentially fresh faces from previously underrepresented regions; for established organizations, however, it means more pressure to deliver competitively. Champions Shanghai is therefore also a farewell celebration for a format that has shaped the VALORANT esports scene for several years.
While the world's 16 best teams prepare for the big stage in Shanghai, Riot Games is simultaneously continuing to refine the game itself. Just recently, in our overview of Patch 13.06, we took a closer look at the changes to agents and balancing that were implemented shortly before the major tournament.
Source: The Spike, VLR.gg, VALORANT Esports
Who will be crowned World Champion? Tell us your favorite for VALORANT Champions 2026 in Shanghai in the comments!
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