Riot Games has unveiled a sweeping overhaul of the 2026 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT), detailing new competitive formats, expanded international events, and the introduction of a qualification path that allows Challengers teams to reach the season-ending Champions tournament. The publisher, which develops the 5v5 character-based tactical shooter VALORANT, described the changes as a step toward a more connected global ecosystem.

The season will feature 48 total teams across the four international leagues—Pacific, Americas, EMEA and China—including newly promoted teams from the 2025 VCT Ascension circuit. Riot also confirmed that regional leagues will begin in January and that Stage 2 Playoffs will transition into traveling offline events to increase live fan engagement.

New Format, New Cities, New Teams

The 2026 season opens with a major shift: a triple-elimination format for Kickoff. Twelve teams per region will compete, with each team guaranteed three opportunities before elimination. Four teams that reached Champions Paris last season will start in Round 2, while the remaining eight will open in Round 1. The final three teams in each region will qualify for Masters Santiago, which has expanded from two regional slots to three.

Stage 1 will maintain a more familiar structure, with 12 teams divided into two groups and playing a single round-robin. All matches will be best-of-three, and the top three playoff teams will advance to Masters London.

Stage 2 mirrors Stage 1 competitively but introduces a significant logistical change: every international league will host its playoffs as an offline roadshow in a new city. Riot said host locations will be announced at a later date.

One of the most notable additions for 2026 is the “Path to Champions,” which opens direct qualification routes for Challengers teams. Four Challengers teams per region may advance into Stage 2 Playoffs, where they will compete against international-league organizations on equal terms for a chance at reaching Champions Shanghai. Qualification methods vary by region; in the Pacific league, champions from Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia earn automatic spots, with a Last Chance Qualifier determining the final berth.

Riot stated the updated format is designed to broaden opportunities for emerging teams while maintaining competitive integrity across the global VCT structure.