Scheduled to take place from September 24 to October 18,
VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026 will bring the 2026 VCT season to a close. Following Evil Geniuses in 2023, EDward Gaming in 2024, and NRG Esports in 2025, another world champion will be crowned. It will also be the final Champions under the current format of the
VALORANT Champions Tour, which will evolve in 2027 towards a more open structure.
China will host the
VALORANT Champions for the first time, following
Masters Shanghai 2024, which saw Gen.G Esports claim the title. As with previous editions of the Champions, 16 teams will compete at
VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026, with four teams coming from each of the four International Leagues: EMEA, Americas, China, and
Pacific.
All teams qualified for VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026
- EDward Gaming (VCT China - Points)
- Paper Rex (VCT Pacific - Points)
Two qualification paths are available to teams throughout the 2026 VCT season. On one side, the Stage 2 playoffs of the four International Leagues each offer two direct spots at Champions, giving the two finalists of each league a place at the World Championship.
The other option is through Championship Points. Teams that fail to reach the Stage 2 grand final can still qualify for VALORANT Champions Shanghai by accumulating enough points throughout the season across Kickoff, Stage 1 and the two Masters events. The two highest-ranked teams in Championship Points that did not qualify through Stage 2 will secure the remaining spots from each league.
Champions format
As for the format of the 2026 edition, there are no surprises once again. The 16 teams qualified for VALORANT Champions Shanghai will be divided into four groups of four. Each group will feature one roster from each of the four regions that make up the VCT.
The teams will face each other in best-of-three matches in a GSL-style double-elimination format. Two teams will be eliminated at the end of this stage, while the other two will advance to the playoffs. For the final stage, the bracket will once again feature a double-elimination format, with all matches played in Bo3 except for the grand final, which will be played as a best-of-five.
