VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026: find out who competes and tournament details
VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026, which marks the end of the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) season for the year, will be held between September 24 and October 18, 2026. The event will define the next world champion, succeeding teams such as Evil Geniuses (2023), EDward Gaming (2024) and NRG Esports (2025). This edition will also have a special character as it is the last with the current VCT format, which will undergo a reformulation in 2027, adopting a more flexible structure.
For the first time in the history of VALORANT Champions, China will host the main tournament, following the positive experience of Masters Shanghai 2024, where Gen.G Esports became champions. In total, 16 elite teams will compete for the world title in Shanghai. They will be distributed equally between the four VCT International Leagues: EMEA, Americas, China and Pacific, with four representatives from each region.
Full coverage: Latest News (EN)
So far, some teams have already guaranteed their participation in VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026. Among the first to secure their places are EDward Gaming, representing VCT China, and Paper Rex, coming from VCT Pacific, both via Championship Points.
How qualification for the world tournament works
Throughout the entire 2026 VCT season, teams have two main ways to win a place in the Champions. The first takes place through the Phase 2 playoffs of each of the four International Leagues, where the two finalist teams in each league automatically guarantee their qualification for the World Championship.
Follow: all about eSports
See Also
Gears of War: E-Day beta successfully debuts on Xbox and Steam
‘Deponia’ game is free on Steam for a limited time; plot resembles ‘WALL-E’
Forza Horizon 6 registers 273 thousand simultaneous players and becomes the biggest Xbox launch on Steam
The second access route to VALORANT Champions Shanghai is through Championship Points. Teams that fail to reach the grand final of Stage 2 still have the chance to qualify by accumulating a sufficient amount of points throughout the season. These points are earned in events such as the Kickoff, Stage 1 and the two Masters tournaments. The two teams from each league with the best overall score that did not qualify for Phase 2 secure the remaining spots in their respective regions.
Competition format details in VALORANT Champions 2026
Regarding the format of the 2026 edition, there will be no major changes compared to previous years. The 16 teams qualified for VALORANT Champions Shanghai will initially be divided into four groups, each consisting of four teams. The distribution is done to ensure that each group has one team from each of the four VCT International Leagues.
The initial clashes will be played in best-of-three matches, following a GSL-style double-elimination format. Two teams will be eliminated at the end of this group stage, while the best two in each group will advance to the playoffs stage. In the final stage, the bracket will maintain the double-elimination format, with all matches being played in a best-of-three format, except the grand final, which will be decided in a best-of-five-game series.
