“
We’re excited for the upcoming changes to VCT next year; however, they will limit our ability to execute around academy rosters,” NRG Esports’
X account revealed on August 29 when announcing the departure of its academy roster.
Sheep Esports confirmed the information through sources close to the situation. Ahead of 2027 and major changes to the
VALORANT Champions Tour, Riot Games has started discussions with numerous organizations that want to remain involved in the game and appears to have decided to
remove the possibility for a club to have two active rosters. End of academy rosters, but Game Changers should continue
The rule will apply to partnered clubs (which have not yet been decided) but should logically extend to non-partnered organizations as well, particularly given the more open format expected to be introduced. With this approach, Riot Games appears to want to prevent two sister teams from facing each other and therefore avoid undermining the competitiveness of its esports ecosystem.
However, the idea of having two rosters from the same club face each other
should not be blocked when it comes to Game Changers teams. According to information gathered by
Sheep Esports, these teams will still be allowed for a club that already has an active team in the VCT circuit. Much like what is already possible within the various Challengers leagues, GC teams will be able to try their luck, like everyone else, in the different Open Qualifiers held throughout the year. This means a Game Changers team could potentially face its club’s main roster during the qualifiers.
Residency and roster rules
In addition to an open format
built around Open Qualifiers that provide access to international LANs, VCT 2027 is also working on a new approach to regional representation and new rules regarding player residency. As members of one of the four major regions in the
VALORANT ecosystem, EMEA, the Americas, Pacific, and China, players will also belong to one of the 16 “home regions.” This division was already announced by the publisher during its presentation of the upcoming season in April.
For 2027, it appears that teams will have to follow rules similar to those already in place, meaning
a minimum of three players from their home region and a maximum of two imported players, as unveiled by Leo Faria, Global Head of
VALORANT Esports, on
X. As a result,
the import rule should shift from the continent to the region. For example, a Turkish player would count as an import for a team whose home region is Europe or MENA, while the same would apply to a South Korean player in Japan.
It should be noted that the maximum of two imports is expected to apply across both sub-regions and major regions. For example, a Brazilian player could still play in Asia, Europe, or China but would count as an import, just like a Saudi Arabian player on an NA or Oceania team.
A grandfathering rule
This point therefore appears to be problematic for several organizations, particularly those already partnered with Riot Games within the four VCT leagues this year, whose current rosters do not comply with this rule despite having players already signed for 2027 or 2028. According to information gathered by
Sheep Esports, these
already-partnered clubs could have an exemption clause, valid only if they are selected again as partners for the coming years. An idea confirmed, on
X, by Leo Faria: “
Existing partner rosters will be grandfathered for a smooth transition.”However, based on our information, Riot may reserve the right to approve or reject these exemptions, and players and clubs would have had to sign these contracts before the end of Stage 2. Therefore, a player who has already been signed by a partner club for the coming years will be able to remain with that club, even if the roster exceeds the maximum of two imports under the new rule. Obviously, if a player leaves a club that does not comply with the rule, they will have to be replaced by a player who fits within the quotas.
Still on
X, the Global Head of VALORANT Esports then used MIBR as an example to elaborate on this point: “
For example, MIBR’s current roster has 1 BR, 1 LATAM, and 3 US players. This roster will be allowed to remain together, even though it does not comply with the new rule. However, if one of the US players leaves, their replacement will have to be a Brazilian player, rather than another US player. This will apply until the team reaches the minimum requirement of 3/5 Brazilian players.”Regarding residency, the VALORANT publisher does not currently appear to be planning the possibility for players to become residents of other regions, as is notably the case in League of Legends.
17-year minimum age and salaries
The minimum age for Tier 1 of the VALORANT Champions Tour was raised to 18 in 2026 because of the World Championship taking place in China in a few weeks. According to sources close to Sheep Esports, the minimum age to participate in international competitions should be lowered to 17 for the major regions. It still seems likely that this rule will not apply in China, again due to local regulations.
As for minimum salaries, they will apply to partnered teams, eight per region, as is already the case in the VCT, sources tell Sheep Esports. The minimum salary should therefore remain around $50,000 USD, while a salary cap is not expected to be introduced in the major regions outside China, which has already had one in place since the 2024 season.
