VCT Champions 2026 Plagued With Tech Issues — Players Now Forced to Play on Wired Mice

Owen Harsono Published 01/10/2026

The biggest Valorant tournament of the year is off to a pretty rough start, as numerous players have experienced technical issues across their very important group stage matches. Things really got out of hand in the recent series between 100 Thieves and FUT Esports, as one player couldn’t fire his weapon entirely. Now, Riot’s most recent announcement has erupted players and the community in anger.

Drama in the 100T vs FUT Series

Technical issues were already apparent in VCT Champions 2026, with players experiencing screen stutters and other minor issues. Still, many players managed to brush these off without escalating the complaints.

However, heat started picking up in the 100 Thieves vs. FUT Esports match. FUT were off to a good start on the first map of Split, winning the pistol round. In the second round, FUT had a 3 versus 1 advantage and were set up to win the round.

But, Doğan “xeus” Gözge’s weapon suddenly jammed, and he couldn’t fire any bullets when attempting to trade his fallen teammate. This incident allowed 100T’s Jordan “vora” Pulwer to pull off a clutch through the Spike exploding, putting FUT in a horrendous position economically.

An extended tech pause happened, with fans asking for a rollback to repeat the round. However, tournament officials didn’t grant one, and the match played on. FUT went on to lose five more rounds in a row and eventually drop the map 5-13.

The series ended with a 100 Thieves victory, meaning the North American squad advanced to the playoffs, while FUT are set to play an elimination match to keep their tournament hopes alive.

FUT Player Boycotts Press Conference

Teams are obligated to participate in a press conference after every match. However, FUT’s Eray “yetujey” Budak refused to carry on with the conference, saying the following:

“I don’t want to be disrespectful to [media attendees], but I don’t care about Riot, so I will not join this [conference].”

Image via @FlankEsports/X

Other VCT Champions Participants Chime In

FUT weren’t the only ones affected by technical issues at the tournament. Nathan “leaf” Orf, who plays for one of the best Valorant teams in G2 Esports, posted on X that the tech problems are at an all-time high at this event.

“Tech problems have gotten worse every single event exponentially over the last three years, and this is the absolute peak, where every round there is some sort of problem – whether it’s for 0.5 seconds or legit multiple seconds.”

Image via @leaf_cs

Riot Games’ Response Leaves Fans Fuming

The official Valorant Esports account released an update a day after the FUT match. Riot acknowledged that the experience has not met the standards so far, and that measures are being taken to solve these issues.

These measures include replacing the custom metal desks with ones made from a different material. And until then, all players are asked to use a wired mouse connection. Riot also went on to conclude that a rollback on Round 2 of Split should have been granted. However, the match result of 100T winning 2-0 will still stand.

Valorant fans were widely absolutely furious that players would have to switch from wireless to wired mice, especially when most pros are only used to playing on wireless connection. The reasoning behind not granting a rollback when it happened was also questionable.

Image via Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games

Despite all the issues, the show must go on. More eliminations are scheduled over the week, and you can also check our Global Esports vs. EDward Gaming predictions to see who’ll come out on top, as well as odds at Valorant betting sites.

Feature Image Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games

Owen Harsono

About Owen Harsono

Owen lives for competition, spending most of his gaming hours on Dota 2, CS2, and Valorant. A regular on the SEA Dota 2 leaderboards, he combines his first-hand experience with a deep passion for esports journalism, following the professional scenes of all three esports betting titles religiously. When he’s not writing, he’s most probably betting on esports and watching the latest events.

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