On the eve of the
VALORANT Champions Tour
Americas Kickoff (from
January 15 to February 15), a tournament designed as an early-season competition in a short, dense format where every match matters. The competition will use
a triple-elimination bracket, with Upper Bracket, Middle Bracket, and Lower Bracket, each echoing the others. Most matches will be played as best-of-three (BO3). Only the finals of each bracket will be played as best-of-five (BO5).
The Upper Bracket rewards teams that chain victories together, offering the cleanest route toward the top of the table. In parallel, the Middle Bracket acts as an immediate recovery zone for early losers: you are not eliminated, but you no longer have room for error. Finally, the Lower Bracket is pure survival, where every round feels like a do-or-die match and mental endurance becomes as crucial as mechanical skill. Follow the evolution of the VCT Americas Kickoff 2026 triple-bracket format in this article.
The three teams that finish at the top of each bracket will qualify for Masters Santiago. At the end of the run, the format produces a clear hierarchy, first, second, and third with dedicated finals for each placing: Upper Finals for the title, Middle Finals for second place, and Lower Finals for third.
That structure sustains constant stakes, because even after a loss, the tournament still leaves a route often longer and more demanding to fight back, prove your worth, and, above all, secure a qualifying spot. It is also a tournament where storylines can begin to take shape, notably around
MIBR and its “super team,” or even G2 Esports and last year’s three-peat: will they be able to replicate that feat and once again dominate the Americas scene?
