Valorant Champions Shanghai runs from Sept. 24 to Oct. 18, with 16 teams competing for a $2.25 million prize pool. This Valorant Shanghai schedule lists every group stage match, the playoff dates, start times in major time zones, results so far, and how to watch.
This is the first time China has hosted Champions, and the second international Valorant event in Shanghai. It is also the last Champions of the franchise era, as the VCT returns to an open qualifier format in 2027. Riot Games confirmed Shanghai as the host city on Aug. 1, 2025.
Valorant Champions Shanghai 2026 at a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Dates | Sept. 24 to Oct. 18, 2026 |
| Location | Shanghai, China |
| Group stage and early playoffs | Jing’an Sports Center (5,600 seats) |
| Finals weekend | Mercedes-Benz Arena, Pudong (18,000 seats) |
| Teams | 16 (four from each VCT region) |
| Prize pool | $2,250,000 |
| Game patch | 13.05 |
| Grand final | Sunday, Oct. 18 (best of five) |
Valorant Shanghai schedule: match start times by time zone
Matches start at 5:00 PM China Standard Time each day, and the broadcast usually goes live about 30 minutes earlier with a pre-game desk segment. Each group stage day has two series. The second one is listed for 8:00 PM CST, but it can move depending on how long the first series runs.
| Time zone | First match | Second match |
|---|---|---|
| China (CST) | 5:00 PM | 8:00 PM |
| Korea (KST) | 6:00 PM | 9:00 PM |
| India (IST) | 2:30 PM | 5:30 PM |
| Central Europe (CEST) | 11:00 AM | 2:00 PM |
| UK (BST) | 10:00 AM | 1:00 PM |
| US Eastern (ET) | 5:00 AM | 8:00 AM |
| US Pacific (PT) | 2:00 AM | 5:00 AM |
All matches fall on the same calendar date in each of these time zones.
Group stage schedule (Sept. 24 to Oct. 4)
The 16 teams are split into four groups of four, with one team from each region (Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China) in every group so no two teams from the same region meet early.
| Group | Americas | EMEA | Pacific | China |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 100 Thieves | FUT Esports | T1 | JD Gaming |
| B | LOUD | Team Vitality | Global Esports | EDward Gaming |
| C | G2 Esports | Team Liquid | Paper Rex | TYLOO |
| D | NRG | Karmine Corp | Nongshim RedForce | Xi Lai Gaming |
Each group plays a GSL double elimination bracket. All group matches are best of three. The two opening match winners meet in the winners’ match, and the winner of that series goes straight to the playoffs. The two opening match losers play an elimination match, and the loser goes home. The decider match then puts the loser of the winners’ match against the winner of the elimination match for the second playoff spot.
Every team that qualified got in through either a Stage 2 top two finish or Championship Points. You can read how all 16 teams qualified for Champions Shanghai for the full breakdown. LEVIATÁN, the Masters London champions, did not qualify, becoming the first team in VCT history to win a Masters event and then miss Champions in the same season.
Full group stage match schedule
| Date | Group | Match | Time (CST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Sept. 24 | C | Team Liquid vs. Paper Rex | 5:00 PM |
| Thu, Sept. 24 | C | TYLOO vs. G2 Esports | 8:00 PM |
| Fri, Sept. 25 | D | Nongshim RedForce vs. NRG | 5:00 PM |
| Fri, Sept. 25 | D | Karmine Corp vs. Xi Lai Gaming | 8:00 PM |
| Sat, Sept. 26 | B | Global Esports vs. Team Vitality | 5:00 PM |
| Sat, Sept. 26 | B | LOUD vs. EDward Gaming | 8:00 PM |
| Sun, Sept. 27 | A | 100 Thieves vs. T1 | 5:00 PM |
| Sun, Sept. 27 | A | JD Gaming vs. FUT Esports | 8:00 PM |
| Mon, Sept. 28 | No matches | Rest day | |
| Tue, Sept. 29 | C | Winners’ match | 5:00 PM |
| Tue, Sept. 29 | D | Winners’ match | 8:00 PM |
| Wed, Sept. 30 | A | Winners’ match | 5:00 PM |
| Wed, Sept. 30 | B | Winners’ match | 8:00 PM |
| Thu, Oct. 1 | C | Elimination match | 5:00 PM |
| Thu, Oct. 1 | D | Elimination match | 8:00 PM |
| Fri, Oct. 2 | A | Elimination match | 5:00 PM |
| Fri, Oct. 2 | B | Elimination match | 8:00 PM |
| Sat, Oct. 3 | C | Decider match | 5:00 PM |
| Sat, Oct. 3 | D | Decider match | 8:00 PM |
| Sun, Oct. 4 | A | Decider match | 5:00 PM |
| Sun, Oct. 4 | B | Decider match | 8:00 PM |
Group stage results so far
On opening day, Paper Rex beat Team Liquid 2-1 and G2 Esports beat TYLOO 2-0. That sends Paper Rex and G2 into the Group C winners’ match on Sept. 29, while Team Liquid and TYLOO meet in the Group C elimination match on Oct. 1.
Playoffs schedule (Oct. 7 to Oct. 18)
The eight teams that get out of groups move into a double elimination bracket. Every playoff match is best of three except the lower bracket final and the grand final, which are best of five. Playoff matchups are set in a draw show after the group stage ends on Oct. 4.
| Date | Stage | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Wed, Oct. 7 | Playoffs Day 1 | Jing’an Sports Center |
| Thu, Oct. 8 | Playoffs Day 2 | Jing’an Sports Center |
| Fri, Oct. 9 | Playoffs Day 3 | Jing’an Sports Center |
| Sat, Oct. 10 | Playoffs Day 4 | Jing’an Sports Center |
| Sun, Oct. 11 | Playoffs Day 5 | Jing’an Sports Center |
| Oct. 12 to Oct. 15 | No matches | Break before finals weekend |
| Fri, Oct. 16 | Playoffs Day 6 | Mercedes-Benz Arena |
| Sat, Oct. 17 | Lower bracket final (Bo5) | Mercedes-Benz Arena |
| Sun, Oct. 18 | Grand final (Bo5) | Mercedes-Benz Arena |
Playoffs Pick’Ems lock around 2:10 AM PT on Oct. 7, about 10 minutes after the first playoff game starts. Exact start times for finals weekend will be confirmed by Riot closer to the date.
Valorant Champions 2026 prize pool
| Place | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|
| 1st | $1,000,000 |
| 2nd | $400,000 |
| 3rd | $250,000 |
| 4th | $130,000 |
| 5th to 6th | $85,000 each |
| 7th to 8th | $50,000 each |
| 9th to 12th | $30,000 each |
| 13th to 16th | $20,000 each |
Patch and map pool
Champions Shanghai is played on Patch 13.05, so the 13.06 update that went live two days before the event is not used. That means the new Warden rifle and other 13.06 changes will not appear in any tournament match.
The map pool is Abyss, Ascent, Haven, Lotus, Split, Summit and Sunset. Abyss replaced Breeze in Patch 13.04, and Summit makes its Champions debut. Summit first arrived with the Season 2026 Act 4 update earlier this year.
How to watch Valorant Champions Shanghai
Every match streams on the official Valorant and VCT channels, with standard and vertical broadcasts and hundreds of official co-streamers. Official streams run on Twitch and YouTube. Link your Riot account before you watch to earn in-game drops such as titles and sprays.
If you plan to attend in person, tickets are tied to the buyer’s real-name ID and cannot be transferred, so buying from resellers is not advised.
Valorant Masters Shanghai 2024 schedule recap
Some searches for the Valorant Shanghai schedule refer to the earlier event. Masters Shanghai 2024 ran from May 23 to June 9, 2024, with 12 teams and a $1,000,000 prize pool. Gen.G beat Team Heretics 3-2 in the grand final to become the first Pacific team to win an international Valorant event. More details are on the Valorant Masters Shanghai 2024 page.
Valorant Shanghai schedule FAQ
When does Valorant Champions Shanghai start and end? The group stage started on Sept. 24, 2026. The grand final is on Sunday, Oct. 18.
What time do Champions Shanghai matches start? The first match each day starts at 5:00 PM CST. That is 2:30 PM IST, 11:00 AM CEST, 5:00 AM ET and 2:00 AM PT.
How many teams play at Champions 2026? Sixteen teams: four each from the Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China.
Where is the Valorant Champions 2026 grand final? Mercedes-Benz Arena in Pudong, Shanghai.
Who is the defending champion? NRG won Champions 2025 in Paris and entered Shanghai through Championship Points.
