Sources: VCT Teams will have the opportunity to work on the template of their sidearm skin

Already hinted at in our previous articles about the 2027 VALORANT Champions Tour season, as well as through Riot Games’ waves of announcements, the landscape is being reshaped across much of the game’s ecosystem. However, one important aspect will remain, and the American publisher has prepared for it accordingly: how the eight partner clubs per region, as well as non-partnered organizations, will receive revenue from participating in the competition. For non-partnered organizations, Riot Games has already presented most of its plan in an announcement dated September 8.

According to sources close to Sheep Esports, one of the main concerns for organizations in the running to become partners, with confirmations expected shortly after VALORANT Champions Shanghai, was whether revenues would remain more or less the same as in 2026. Based on the publisher’s statements, they should be close to last year’s levels. Teams near the bottom of the standings that bring less value through their competitive performance, fanbase, or partnerships may receive smaller payouts.

As in previous years, partner clubs will receive a base stipend, in addition to bonuses based on their results and the LANs they qualify for, as well as revenue from the different capsules, including team, Champions, and seasonal capsules. On the skin side, 2027 will see the partner clubs’ logos appear on something other than the Classic for the first time, as already revealed by Bill Pan, Head of Product Strategy for VALORANT Esports, and Riley Yurk, Product Manager for Riot Games. The skins should indeed be applied to a Ghost.

In addition to this welcome change for fans of the clubs, organizations should have the opportunity to work directly on the template of their skin by proposing a customized template—subject to final approval from the dev team. Since their introduction in 2024, all Classic skins have followed the same pattern, according to information gathered by our journalists. The teams will receive revenue from several sources, including the baseline share, competitive share, fandom share, and team bundles. Per sources, Riot’s contract guarantees teams a minimum 25% share of bundle revenues. However, the teams are aiming to reach a percentage similar to last year’s, when they received 50%.

When it comes to sponsorships, Riot Games is also keeping a close eye on which brands are and are not allowed for clubs active within its ecosystem. Regarding betting, which Riot Games has been working on for more than a year now, only partner organizations will still be allowed to have these sponsors, sources tell Sheep Esports. On this point, it therefore seems logical to assume that the regulations will remain unchanged, meaning that only brands authorized by Riot Games, with 1xBet and Winamax* already active in some regions, can be featured. As a reminder, these brands cannot appear on jerseys or on official broadcasts.

In addition to these measures implemented by Riot Games, the North American publisher also appears keen to push local activations and initiatives involving club fanbases. According to sources close to Sheep Esports, Riot has even strongly encouraged organizations to plan events, both through tournaments they can organize during the off-season and through viewing parties, a model that is already well established.

*Sheep Esports is currently partnered with Winamax