In 2027,
VALORANT will undergo its second major competitive format change, following the introduction of the Champions Tour in 2023. This time, the circuit will feature much more openness through open qualifiers, which will provide access to the most important regional tournaments and, by extension, international LANs. However, as already presented by Riot Games, eight organizations per region will still be partnered, although they will no longer have as many competitive privileges.
As such, the teams currently partnered with the VCT across the four major regions, EMEA, the Americas, the Pacific, and China, have had to go through the application process again, as they did in 2022, for the new 2027-2028 cycle. This new partnership cycle is therefore expected to last only two years, half the four years that the first cycle lasted. It is worth noting that, in addition to the teams already partnered, non-partnered organizations could also apply for the status, which notably provides financial stability and guaranteed revenue.
According to sources close to Sheep Esports, Riot Games emphasized to the organizations applying that their current presence in the VCT, as well as their four years as partners, would be taken into consideration. Recent performance and how closely teams have aligned with VCT partner expectations will also factor into the evaluation. While incumbent teams benefit from having an established track record and years of data to point to, that history could also work against them. Fan engagement is the important factor, according to sources tell Sheep Esports, showcasing the strength of its community (online and during events) and its fanbase, a point also highlighted by Riot Games.
Game Changers is a bonus
In addition, the publisher indicated that it was not considering disregarding the four years of collaboration with these organizations and that whether or not they would be renewed would ultimately be at Riot Games' discretion. This was likely also a way for the publisher to avoid upsetting organizations that might feel overlooked while keeping the door open for a potential return. According to the Global Head of VALORANT Esports, Leo Faria, Riot Games “take regional representation into account when choosing partners, but there's no rule or fixed number of slots per region.”
Riot is indeed looking to strike a balance between maintaining regional representation and selecting the best teams from each territory. As a result, the subregions of the four major leagues (EMEA, Americas, Pacific and China) might not all have the same number of representatives or might not have any at all.
In terms of advantages, and despite the disappearance of academy teams as we recently reported, Riot Games is encouraging organizations seeking partnership to have another team, but in
Game Changers. The
VALORANT league reserved for women and marginalized genders has been an integral part of the VCT since 2022. It has its own leagues and World Championship, the GC Championship, but also serves as a pathway into the main circuit, with teams able to participate in open qualifiers and potentially progress to Cups, then Masters and Champions. As such, having such a project within an organization appears to be an advantage for teams seeking partnership, according to sources who spoke to
Sheep Esports.
Obviously, for these partnered team slots, Riot Games appears to prefer organizations to be active and apply in the region where they are strongest, which is often their home region, according to information gathered by our journalists. However, as with everything else, these "bonus" points are ultimately at Riot Games' discretion. The publisher remains in control and will ultimately decide which organizations will be part of the partnered pool and which will not.
