In addition to unveiling the details of the first open qualifier under the new
VALORANT Champions Tour format on September 8, Riot Games has privately communicated with numerous clubs about the future of its esports. On top of confirming that partnered clubs will no longer have to remain in the four hub cities, an exclusive piece published by
ReaderGrev revealed that Berlin will be used for VCT EMEA, Seoul for Pacific, Los Angeles for Americas, and Shanghai for China. Sources close to
Sheep Esports have also shared further details with us about 2027.
As expected, many clubs are under pressure over the possibility of not being selected for 2027, as Riot Games has reopened the selection process for its partnered clubs, putting all slots across the four regions back up for grabs. This leaves clubs already invested in the game, as well as those looking to continue or enter VALORANT, uncertain about what comes next for them, especially with such an open format as the one presented by the North American publisher.
More matches with good results
According to information gathered by Sheep Esports, Riot Games has therefore tried to reassure clubs, notably by assuring them that teams that perform well in the qualifiers will have more matches to play in 2027 than in previous seasons. Even though the much more open format will obviously be far more punishing before the Cups, potentially leaving clubs without official matches for months. As a reminder, outside of Kickoff, which will take place at the beginning of 2027, the eight partnered organizations will have to qualify for these stages, meaning that neither of the two Cups of the year is guaranteed for anyone.
This Kickoff and its Cups should retain formats similar to the Stages already in place on the VCT circuit, with around two to three weeks of competition. All of these regional final stages will be played on LAN, between Riot Games' studios in Berlin and other venues, with Riot Games emphasizing that physical VALORANT competitions in 2027 should take place in 16 different cities, a figure almost equivalent to 2026.
The three major events of the competitive year, the two Masters and Champions, should retain their current number of participants, with 12 and 16 qualified teams, respectively. The dates and locations of these events are also expected to be announced during
Champions Shanghai, according to sources who spoke to
Sheep Esports.
In the event of particularly strong results, and as confirmed by Riot Games during its wave of announcements on September 8, non-partnered teams that make deep runs at the various events will receive financial support from Riot Games. This would allow a team having an extraordinary year to earn cash prizes and rewards exceeding the amount clubs receive each year as Riot Games partners.
More details on the Open Qualifiers
As for these non-partnered teams, in the first wave of announcements last April, Riot Games had only stated that partnered organizations would skip part of the open qualifiers for each Cup. On this specific point, Riot Games has reportedly said, according to sources close to Sheep Esports, that non-partnered teams with strong results could also skip the first rounds of the Open Qualifiers. These are expected to be held online, but according to information gathered by our journalists, some of them could also take place in person, mainly if a local organizer wants to take on the opportunity.
Still regarding these open tournaments, Riot Games appears to be giving non-qualified teams free rein to participate in third-party tournaments when they do not make it to the important stages of the open qualifiers. According to sources close to Sheep Esports, the publisher still wants to support organizers looking to run tournaments during off-periods. However, it seems that there may not be that many gaps in the schedule for these tournaments, particularly because “Each Open will feature more than one Open Qualifier,” as Leo Faria stated on X.
With the arrival of this open format, questions are also being raised about Riot Games' in-game competitive system, Premier, which was notably used for the Up&Downs in the various Challengers leagues, which have also disappeared with this open format. According to Leo Faria on
X, “
Premier will place teams further into the Opens.”
In a post on X following the announcements made on September 8, Leo Faria addressed the fairness concerns raised by a competition that would be held largely online, which is expected to be the case for VALORANT in 2027 across all open stages. “We’ll share more soon about all the measures we’re putting in place to protect it,” he said, before adding that players who make it through the later rounds of the Open Qualifiers will have to register on platforms using their legal names. This should help reduce cheating attempts as the rounds progress.
Otherwise, “if you’re caught cheating, you’re not just risking a VAL account. You’re risking your ability to compete in the VCT altogether. And I’ll personally ban your ass for a very long time.”
