The shape of
VALORANT’s 2027 competitive ecosystem continues to emerge.
After announcing a significant opening of the circuit last April, Riot Games has now finalized the number of partner teams for the next two seasons. According to
Sheep Esports sources, that number will be reduced from ten to eight organizations in a new two-year cycle in each region, with a total of 32 partner teams.
Under the new system, partner status will remain a major advantage for organizations. Partner teams will continue to receive a base payment while also retaining revenue generated through their in-game team capsules. In 2025 alone, Riot distributed nearly $86 million to its forty partnered organizations.
A competitive advantage
These eight teams will also enjoy a substantial competitive advantage within the publisher’s upcoming open circuit. Under the new Tournament First Ecosystem, all teams will be required to compete through Open Qualifiers in order to reach regional Cups, which will in turn serve as qualification pathways to Masters events and Champions
For the two Cups, partner organizations will indeed have to navigate the qualification process alongside every other team, but they will be exempt from the earliest rounds. Their entry point into the qualifiers will depend on previous results. For instance, teams that fail to qualify for Masters 1 will enter roughly midway through the first Open Qualifier, while teams returning from Masters 1 will be seeded directly into the later stages of that same qualification tournament.
$400,000 for the Champions
More importantly, partner teams will not be required to go through qualifiers for the Kickoff. The tournament will feature twelve teams competing in a triple-elimination bracket, including four teams advancing from the open qualification system. Teams that qualify for either the Kickoff or a Cup through the open circuit will each receive $100,000. Should an open team secure qualification for a Masters event, it will earn $200,000.
A team advancing from the open ecosystem all the way to Champions will receive $400,000. Riot also plans to award $100,000 to teams that qualify for the Game Changers Championship, while maintaining a total seasonal prize pool of more than $6 million.
