Valorant Champions 2026 is almost here, and the world's top teams will soon battle it out for the popular shooter's world championship trophy. The event will interest fans, as 2026 has seen new contenders emerge, expectations broken, and two new champions crowned at both Masters.
Esports Charts has collated all the important details about the most prestigious competition on the Valorant esports calendar for 2026. This primer covers livestreams, dates, format, and participants.
Valorant Champions 2026 venue and dates
The Valorant Champions Shanghai 2026 will run from September 24 to October 18 and will provide the final major benchmark for VCT viewership in 2026. The most coveted trophy in Valorant esports today will be contested across multiple venues in Shanghai, China: Mercedes-Benz Arena (Finals Weekend) and Jing'an Sports Center (Group Stage & Playoffs).
Ticket sales will go live later on September 16 at 11:00 AM CST, and interested fans can purchase their seats here. For more details on the Champions Shanghai: Finals Weekend live audience and ticket sale information, click here.
Valorant Champions 2026 participants
Sixteen Valorant Champions Tour teams from the Americas, China, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and the Pacific will battle to become the 2026 Valorant world champion. The line-up of participants includes some familiar names, new contenders, and a fearless generation of challengers who will compete for the biggest trophy of the year.
Valorant Champions 2026: Key Information
CategoryDetails
Event
Valorant Champions Shanghai 2026
Dates
September 24 to October 18, 2026
Location
Shanghai, China
Prize pool$2.25 million
Venues
Jing’an Sports Center — Group Stage and Playoffs; Mercedes-Benz Arena — Finals Weekend
Participants
16 VCT teams from the Americas, China, EMEA, and Pacific
Official broadcasts
YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok, with coverage in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Indonesian, French, Turkish, Chinese, and Ukrainian
Group Stage
September 24 to October 4; four groups; double-elimination format; all matches are best-of-three
Playoffs
October 7 to 18; double elimination; most matches are best-of-three; Lower Bracket Final and Grand Final are best-of-five
Opening matches
Team Liquid vs Paper Rex; TYLOO vs G2 Esports; Nongshim RedForce vs NRG; Karmine Corp vs XLG Esports; Global Esports vs Team Vitality; LOUD vs EDward Gaming; 100 Thieves vs T1; JD Gaming vs FUT Esports
Community broadcasts
Featured creators should include FNS, TcK 10, mixwell, tarik, and lazvell
Viewer rewards
Fans can earn exclusive Drops, including a special Title
Ticket information
Ticket sales were scheduled to begin on September 16 at 11:00 AM CST
Valorant Champions 2026 broadcasts
Multiple official channels will be livestreaming the action from China in numerous languages. Apart from official English broadcasts, official channels will be available for Valorant demographics like Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, French, Turkish, Chinese, and Ukrainian-speaking viewers.
English broadcast:
- YouTube
- Twitch
- TikTok
Spanish broadcast:
- YouTube
- Twitch
Portuguese broadcast:
- YouTube
- Twitch
Japanese broadcast:
- YouTube
- Twitch
Vietnamese broadcast:
- YouTube
- TikTok
Valorant is a game that massively leans on community casting for its viewership success, meaning many top streamers will be covering the matches live. Fans can expect prominent content creators like Pujan "FNS" Mehta, Heitor "TcK 10" Tomazela, Oscar "mixwell" Cañellas, Tarik "tarik" Celik, and Ushida "lazvell" Kouji to broadcast what happens in Shanghai.
Analyze the exact popularity and audience reach of organizations and particular rosters using the Esports Charts Teams Dashboard. Discover which organizations truly drive viewership and engagement.
Another reason for fans to tune in live to Champions Shanghai is to earn exclusive Drops, including a special Title.
Valorant Champions 2026 format and opening matches
Valorant Champions 2026 is split into two stages, with $2.25 million on the line:
Groups Stage (Sept 24 to Oct 4)
- Four groups with one representative from each region
- Sixteen teams enter. Only eight survive.
- Lose two, and you're out.
- All matches are best-of-three.
Playoffs (Oct 7 to Oct 18)
- Double elimination. One loss puts you on the edge.
- Two losses send you home.
- All but two matches are Bo3
- Lower Bracket Final and Grand Final are Bo5
The schedule of games below will be updated as matches get decided:
Group Stage opening games:
Group C, Sep 24:
- Team Liquid vs Paper Rex
- TYLOO vs G2 Esports
Group D, Sep 25:
- Nongshim Red Force vs NRG
- Karmine Corp vs XLG Esports
Group B, Sep 26:
- Global Esports vs Team Vitality
- LOUD vs EDward Gaming
Group A, Sep 27:
- 100 Thieves vs T1
- JD Gaming vs FUT Esports
Valorant Champions brief viewership history
The Valorant Champions has finished among the game's most successful events by both watch time and peak concurrent viewership. The 2025 iteration reached 1.47 million PV and 47.5 million Hours Watched, the third-best result in the shooter's history on both counts.
The Valorant Champions 2025 was held in Paris, with NRG Esports going unbeaten to claim its maiden international title. Several records were created or broken throughout these three weeks, and the entire list can be accessed in our report here.
With so much already taking place across the 2026 Valorant esports season, it remains to be seen which side goes home as the world champion. Will it be a new side that etches its name in the game's history, or a familiar team that adds to its legacy? It's all to play for, starting on September 24.