The 2026
VALORANT season barely has time to breathe. No sooner will VCT EMEA Kickoff conclude and the three spots for Masters Santiago be secured than a new battleground will arrive from February 19 to February 25:
VALORANT EMEA Clash. The premise is straightforward on paper, yet far more volatile in practice: bringing together twelve teams in a setting where Tier 1
organizations meets the strongest Challengers representatives.
At the centre of the competition are six VCT EMEA teams — most likely those finishing between fourth and ninth at Kickoff and failing to secure a spot in Santiago, although Riot has yet to confirm the details* — alongside six squads drawn from the Challengers regions, including
VALORANT Challengers MENA. This would also mean that the first three teams eliminated from the Kickoff will not play again until April. The event is run in partnership with Vanguard, one way to lend the tournament a more formal competitive framework while preserving the “collision” identity the concept promises.
Two brackets, two champions, and a crossover mechanism
The format is built around two simultaneous double-elimination brackets: an Alpha bracket and an Omega bracket. By the end of the tournament, two champions are crowned, one for each “world.” Placement, however, is dictated by prior results: the top four teams from Kickoff receive a bye into Round 2, while the two other VCT EMEA teams and the six Challengers teams are assigned via a draw, governed by a key competitive safeguard. The two VCT teams in that pool are indeed separated into different brackets.
EMEA Clash Primer qualification path. Credit: Riot Games
The defining twist lies in the interconnection between the two paths. From Round 2 onward, a loss in Alpha’s upper bracket does not drop a team into Alpha’s lower bracket; instead, it transfers them into Omega’s lower bracket (and vice versa). The consequence is clear: a second chance is not merely a conventional fall through the bracket, but a complete shift in ecosystem, opposition, and competitive rhythm.
*Tomek, VALORANT Esports Product Manager, gave an update on X about the participating VCT teams: "We reached out to all VCT EMEA teams ahead of EMEA Clash to understand interest in playing if they don’t qualify for Masters Santiago. A number of teams confirmed they wouldn’t compete regardless of Kickoff outcome. Participation in EMEA Clash for VCT EMEA teams is purely optional. From the pool of teams that do opt in, the top 6 teams at Kickoff will be selected to compete."
