VALORANT Champions 2026
VALORANT Champions 2026 will take place in Shanghai, China, from Sep. 24 to Oct. 18, with 16 teams competing for a reported $2.25 million prize pool
The VALORANT Champions 2026 tournament is set to begin on Sep. 24 and will run until Oct. 18, featuring 16 teams from across the Americas, EMEA, Pacific, and China regions. According to Esports Insider, the tournament will have a reported $2.25 million prize pool, with the winning team taking home $1 million.
Tournament Format
The tournament will initially separate the participating teams into four GSL-style groups of four, with all matches played as best-of-three series. The top two teams from each group will advance to the double-elimination playoffs, while the bottom two teams will be eliminated. Playoff matches will also be played as best-of-three until the tail end of the tournament, where the lower final and grand final will switch to best-of-five matchups to decide who lifts the trophy.
Qualified Teams
Currently, four teams have locked in spots at Champions Shanghai: Paper Rex, EDward Gaming, Xi Lai Gaming, and JD Gaming. PRX, EDG, and XLG qualified through Championship Points, while JDG secured China’s first Stage 2 qualification spot.
Path to Champions
The most striking change heading into VALORANT Champions 2026 is Riot’s new Path to Champions system, which allows top Challenger teams to enter their respective Stage 2 competitions and fight established International League organizations for a spot in Shanghai. This means a team can theoretically rise from Premier to Challengers and all the way to Champions, creating a direct route to VALORANT’s crowning event.
Teams to Watch
With most of the field still undecided, it’s still too early to point out a definitive favorite. However, Riot’s latest Global Power Rankings paints an interesting picture of the teams currently leading the VCT 2026 season. The current top six teams are:
| Team | Power Score | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Leviatán | 1,573 | 70.4% |
| Paper Rex | 1,519 | 73.5% |
| NRG | 1,470 | - |
| Team Vitality | - | - |
| 100 Thieves | - | - |
| T1 | - | - |
Prize Pool
The VALORANT Champions 2026 prize pool is reported to be $2.25 million, with $1 million allocated to the winning team. The official prize breakdown has not yet been published by Riot, but it is expected to follow the same distribution as last year.
The tournament will be held in Shanghai, China, with the specific venue yet to be announced by Riot Games. Fans can watch the tournament on the official YouTube and Twitch channels, alongside co-streamers and regional-language broadcasts.
