The Valorant community is buzzing with excitement as Valorant Champions Shanghai 2026 is right around the corner. The much-anticipated event, which kicks off on September 24 and runs through October 18, is all set to crown the sixth world champion in the tournament’s history.
Valorant Champions 2026 marks the second time Shanghai has hosted a global Valorant tournament, following the 2024 Masters event. It will also be the final Champions held under the current VCT format before the tour shifts toward a more open structure in 2027.
The upcoming tournament will see 16 of the world’s best Valorant teams battle it out on LAN for a shot at the prestigious trophy alongside a share of a multi-million dollar prize pool.
In this article, we’ll go through everything you need to know about Valorant Champions 2026, including all its participating teams, schedule, format, prize pool, and where you can watch the event live.
Valorant Champions 2026 Teams
All 16 teams participating in Valorant Champions 2026 are now locked in, with four teams representing each of the VCT’s international leagues. This includes the top two teams from each region’s Stage 2 playoffs, plus two more per region who accumulated the most Championship Points across the season.
Here’s the full list of teams in Valorant Champions Shanghai 2026:
Americas
- 100 Thieves
- LOUD
- NRG
- G2 Esports
EMEA
- Karmine Corp
- Team Liquid
- FUT Esports
- Team Vitality
APAC
- Nongshim RedForce
- Global Esports
- T1
- Paper Rex
China
- TYLOO
- JD Gaming
- EDward Gaming
- XLG Esports
Valorant Champions 2026 Schedule & Format
Valorant Champions 2026 follows a two-phase structure: a group stage followed by an eight-team double-elimination playoffs bracket. The 16 qualified teams are split into four groups of four, with each group featuring one roster from every region so no group is dominated by a single league. Within each group, teams play a GSL-style double-elimination stage with all matches contested as best-of-three, and the top two finishers from every group advance to the playoffs.
The event runs from September 24 through October 18, giving nearly four weeks for the group stage to settle before the single and double-elimination playoff rounds crown a champion on the closing weekend.
Valorant Champions 2026 Prize Pool
The Valorant Champions 2026 tournament will carry a total prize pool of a whopping $2,250,000 USD, with the champion taking home $1,000,000 USD. The runner-up is set to receive $400,000 USD, with the remaining prize money distributed down through the bracket to the lowest-placed team.
Where to Watch Valorant Champions 2026
Fans will be able to catch all the action that unfolds during Valorant Champions 2026 via the official Valorant Twitch and YouTube channels.
Note that there will also be additional co-streams in multiple languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, and Thai. On top of the official broadcasts, community co-streams are permitted through the VCT partner programme, letting approved content creators broadcast the event on their own channels.
