Valorant Champions 2026 Playoffs Preview: Schedule, Betting Picks, and Predictions
After a tough year and an even tougher group stage, the 2026 Valorant Champions playoffs are finally here. Eight of the best Valorant teams will compete to determine which one deserves to be crowned this year’s champion.
Multiple professional Valorant teams gave it their all in their respective domestic leagues to qualify for Champions, but not every team was successful. Out of the sixteen teams that made it to Valorant’s most important tournament of the year, half of them have already been eliminated. Still, the group stage did its job by helping fans pick their favorites to win, and some of the best Valorant players will be on display.
With there being just a few days until the grand final ultimately crowns this year’s champion, this article highlights everything you need to know about the 2026 Valorant Champions playoffs. This includes the schedule, current overall Valorant betting odds, and our predictions for what could happen based on recent matches.
All Valorant Champions 2026 playoffs teams and betting odds
Paper Rex 2026 Valorant Champions roster – Image credit: Paper Rex
While every professional team has done well to make it this far, not every team has the same chances of success, especially in the eyes of fans. Looking at every team’s recent performance and overall state, below is every team in the 2026 Valorant Champions playoffs, along with their winning chances as mentioned on GG.BET.
| Team | Winning Odds |
|---|---|
| Paper Rex | 2.12 |
| 100 Thieves | 3.77 |
| LOUD | 7.89 |
| Nongshim Redforce | 8.65 |
| NRG | 8.74 |
| Team Vitality | 12.44 |
| T1 | 14.99 |
| G2 Esports | 15.73 |
Valorant betting odds from GG.BET as of October 6, 7:19 am EST.
Paper Rex is the clear favorite to win based on betting odds, and it makes sense why. The team is arguably the historically strongest Pacific team that’s still in this competition. The team’s aggressive playing style has earned it high spots in multiple international events, even if it may sometimes end up falling short at the very end.
Not too many fans seem to have faith in G2 Esports, which could be for two major reasons. The first is that the team recently got reverse-swept by Paper Rex. The second is that the team will face off against 100 Thieves right out of the gate. Not to mention, the team’s track record of winning international events isn’t exactly the greatest, since the team has now made eight consecutive international playoffs without winning a single one.
Based on just recent performance, 100 Thieves could be a real contender to win this whole thing. The team’s performance this year has been great, whether it was their recent dominance or the Esports World Cup sweep. The big question is whether the team can translate its domestic dominance to the biggest tournament of this year.
Complete Valorant Champions 2026 playoffs schedule
100 Thieves 2026 Valorant Champions roster – Image credit: 100 Thieves
The Valorant Champions 2026 playoffs are scheduled to start on October 7, 2026. The tournament is taking place in Shanghai, so it makes sense that the timing could be off for Western fans. Fortunately, most of the important matches fall on the weekend, giving some breathing space in terms of timing.
October 7 and 8 will see the four upper-bracket quarterfinal matches. These include:
- NRG vs. T1 (October 7, 4 am EST)
- Paper Rex vs LOUD (October 7, 7 am EST)
- 100 Thieves vs G2 Esports (October 8, 4 am EST)
- Team Vitality vs Nongshim RedForce (October 8, 7 am EST)
The playoffs use a double-elimination bracket, which means that one loss doesn’t immediately result in elimination. Teams will get one more chance to participate in the lower bracket if they’re eliminated in the upper bracket, with the best teams from both brackets finally meeting in the grand final.
The Valorant Champions 2026 playoffs grand final will be on Sunday, October 18, at 1 am. Every match will be a best-of-three, excluding the lower-bracket final and grand final, which will both be Bo5s.
☑️ My Valorant Champions 2026 playoffs predictions
Paper Rex are being heralded as the favorite to win this tournament because of their aggressive nature, but that hasn’t always translated into success. The team’s international performance this year has been all over the place. While coming second in Masters Santiago and Masters London was impressive, the team threw that momentum away by failing to crack the top ten in this year’s EWC.
When considering recent consistency, it’s hard to ignore 100 Thieves. The team may not have had the best start to this year, but it has been on a roll since the Esports World Cup. Not only did 100 Thieves dominate the EWC, but it went on to comfortably win VCT Americas Stage 2, establishing it as a real threat.
However, when it comes to my favorite, it has to be NRG. The team’s status as defending Champions seems to be forgotten by many, especially since the team’s recent performance has also been decent. NRG has consistently ranked in the top three of every event aside from Masters London, making it the most consistent team in the fray. For me, it wouldn’t be surprising if this consistency and experience help NRG ultimately walk away as the first back-to-back Champions.
Feature image credit: Riot Games
Hannan Mundia is a lifelong gamer. Don’t believe us? Just ask him. But don’t ask how many hours he’s spent playing. He’s been gaming since the age of three, and much of his live revolves around video games and the video game industry. Whether it’s a classic Legend of Zelda game from Nintendo, the newest Bethesda RPG, or something else entirely, you can bet that Hannan is ready and willing to play it.
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