VCT Champions 2026: Preview, Schedule, Format, Prize Pool, and Teams To Watch

Owen Harsono Published 15/09/2026

The VCT 2026 season ends with the annual VCT Champions tournament, and this year’s iteration is heading to Shanghai. Even if you haven’t been actively following the competitive scene, this is a tournament you don’t want to miss. Below we outlined everything you need to know about VCT Champions 2026, including where is best for some Valorant betting.

VCT Champions 2026 Event Overview

Event	VCT Champions 2026
Start Date	24 September 2026
End Date	18 October 2026
Prize Pool	$2,250,000
Teams	16
Location	Shanghai, China

VCT Champions 2026 Teams

A total of 16 teams will compete in the battleground that is VCT Champions 2026. Four teams from each major VCT region have booked their spot through consistent placements throughout the year, or a strong performance in the most recent Stage 2 regional tournaments.

Let’s quickly go over the teams we’ll see throughout the two-million dollar event:

VCT Americas Teams

100 Thieves
NRG Esports
G2 Esports
LOUD

VCT EMEA Teams

Karmine Corp
Team Liquid
Team Vitality
FUT Esports

VCT Pacific Teams

Paper Rex
Global Esports
Nongshim RedForce
T1

VCT China Teams

TYLOO
JD Gaming
EDward Gaming
XLG Esports

We have a very stacked lineup of teams, but the most notable absentee has to be LEVIATAN. The South American squad won the most recent tournament, lifting the trophy at VCT Masters London, but bombed out of the VCT Americas Stage 2 playoffs to miss the event.

Tournament Format and Schedule

VCT Champions 2026 Shanghai is scheduled to run for a little over three weeks, so let’s understand when the matches actually happen and how the tournament format works.

Like any other esports tournament, this year’s Champions event will go through two phases – the group stage and the playoffs:

Group Stage (September 24 – October 4)

Unlike other international VCT tournaments where the first seed from each region skips the group stage entirely, VCT Champions 2026 will be different. Every single team will start their journey in the Group Stage. That’s exactly why the 16 teams have been divided into groups of four.

There are four groups, with each group fielding four teams.
The group stage will feature a double-elimination format. If you lose two matches – you’re out.
Every series in the group stage will be played in Best of 3 format.
The top two teams from each group advance to the playoffs, while the bottom two are eliminated.
At the end of the group stage, only eight teams will remain.

Here are how the groups were divided, and the matchups for the first round:

Image via Riot Games / VCT

Playoffs (October 7 – October 18)

As we touched on earlier, only eight teams will see the light of the playoffs. As usual, the playoffs for VCTChampions 2026 will use another double-elimination phase.

The eight group stage survivors are seeded into the upper bracket of the playoffs.
Again, if you lose two matches in the playoffs – your run to the trophy immediately ends.
Every series in the group stage will be played in Best of 3 format except for the lower bracket final and grand final, which will be played in Best of 5 format.

Teams to Watch at VCT Champions 2026

If you haven’t been watching professional Valorant over the past couple months, we’ve got your back. Here are our top three teams to watch at the event:

100 Thieves

Despite a very slow start to the season, 100 Thieves have finally found their groove in the past two tournaments. They came out of nowhere and emerged victorious at the Esports World Cup, which was one of the biggest international tournaments of the season.

Then, 100T flew back to the Americas to compete in the region’s Stage 2 tournament, and also won the title, taking down heavy hitters like NRG and LEVIATAN along the way to secure their seat in VCT Champions 2026.

If you’re looking to place an outright bet, then GGBET is probably the best site for plentiful markets; 100T are currently rated as having the best chance to take the title. All players are in good form, and they’ve already proven they can win an international title.

Paper Rex

We can never count out Paper Rex. After all, they were arguably the most consistent team of the year, having some of the best Valorant players in the world and also finishing second in both international VCT tournaments this season.

The Southeast Asian squad has since slowed down, with very disappointing exits at the Esports World Cup and the recent VCT Pacific Stage 2. However, we can expect them to turn up for the biggest event of the year.

They may not be the favorites to win the trophy this time around at esports betting sites, but they always play some entertaining Valorant that you don’t want to miss.

paper rex vct masters london predictions

Image via Liu Yicun / Riot Games

Nongshim RedForce

Nongshim RedForce started the year as the best Valorant team in the world, sweeping the competition at VCT Masters Santiago 2026. However, they struggled a lot after that and even missed out on Masters London.

Still, the South Korean squad seems to have bounced back by placing second at VCT Pacific Stage 2. If we’re considering recency bias, we really can’t write them off in Shanghai.

Nongshim RedForce also have a great record against international teams. They’ve struggled against domestic teams, but might perform even better against the international competition in Champions 2026.

VCT Champions 2026 Prize Pool and Distribution

Aside from the coveted Champions 2026 trophy, the players are also competing for a share of the $2.25 million prize pool. Here’s how the pot will be divided amongst the participants.

Placement	Prize Money Won
1st	$1,000,000
2nd	$400,000
3rd	$250,000
4th	$130,000
5th – 6th	$85,000
7th – 8th	$50,000
9th – 12th	$30,000
13th – 16th	$20,000

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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