VALORANT Champions Tour 2027 schedule spans 15 cities
Riot Games has unveiled the 2027 VALORANT Champions Tour calendar, featuring over 50 tournaments across 15 global cities and a total prize pool exceeding $7 million. The season will conclude with the Champions and Game Changers Championship in Austin, Texas, from September 16 to October 10.
Riot Games has announced the full 2027 VALORANT Champions Tour schedule. More than 50 tournaments will be held across 15 cities worldwide, with a total prize pool of over $7 million. The calendar, revealed on October 15, marks a structural shift away from long league play. The new format rebuilds the season around open qualification and short, high-stakes tournaments spread across 14 regions.
Austin to host Champions finale
The VCT 2027 season will culminate in Austin, Texas. The Champions and Game Changers Championship will run from September 16 to October 10. This is the first time Austin has been chosen to host the VALORANT world championship. The Game Changers Championship finale will be placed in front of VCT’s biggest annual audience.
Regional events structure
The 2027 season opens with regional Kickoff events in four cities. These will take place from January 14 to February 7 in São Paulo, Berlin, Bangkok, and Hangzhou. The competition then progresses through two regional Cups before reaching global Masters events.
The first Masters tournament is scheduled for Seoul from February 20 to March 3. Seoul last hosted a global VCT event in 2024. The second Masters event will be held in Valencia, Spain, from June 5 to June 20.
Two rounds of regional Cups will replace the old regular season format. The schedule ensures each of the 15 cities hosts only one event. Twelve regional events plus three global ones means no city hosts twice. Every region will play its Kickoff and two Cups in three different locations.
| Event Stage | Host Cities | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Kickoff | São Paulo, Berlin, Bangkok, Hangzhou | Jan 14 - Feb 7 |
| Cup 1 | Mexico City, Warsaw, Manila, Wuhan | Apr 29 - May 23 |
| Masters 1 | Seoul | Feb 20 - Mar 3 |
| Cup 2 | Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul, Tokyo, Shanghai | Aug 5 - Aug 29 |
| Masters 2 | Valencia, Spain | Jun 5 - Jun 20 |
| Champions | Austin, Texas | Sep 16 - Oct 10 |
Outside of China, Brazil is the only country hosting two regional events. São Paulo will open the Americas season, with Rio de Janeiro staging Cup 2 later in the year.
Competition path and rewards
The 2027 VCT season runs through a five-tier competitive path: Opens, Kickoff, Cups, Masters, and Champions. Open qualifiers for the Kickoff are scheduled to begin as early as November 2026. Regional Opens are designed to crown local champions. Anna Donlon, Head of Valorant Studios, stated that "The Opens would put established players against lesser-known competitors, crown local heroes and allow the best teams to progress to Cups, Masters and Champions."
Six partner teams across EMEA, Americas, and the Pacific will receive direct entry only to their respective regional Kickoff tournaments. Chinese partner and visitor organisations will receive invitations under separate regional partnership arrangements. After the Kickoff, these partner teams must compete against Open Qualifier teams for all remaining spots in Cups, Masters, and Champions. A partner slot guarantees just one regional tournament per year; every appearance after that must be earned.
Riot has committed to significant financial support for open teams. Qualification payments are guaranteed for reaching an event, not for winning it.
| Achievement | Support Payment |
|---|---|
| Qualify for Kickoff or a Cup | $100,000 |
| Reach a Masters event | $200,000 |
| Qualify for Champions | $400,000 |
An open team could earn more than $1 million over a strong season through these support payments. Every team competing at the Game Changers Championship will receive $100,000, part of a $1 million support commitment from Riot for that circuit.
The partner team list is up for renewal. Riot will be taking applications during the 2026 off-season for a new two-year partnership cycle covering 2027 and 2028. The 2027 VCT season will culminate in Austin with the Champions event running from September 16 to October 10.
