With the finals weekend of Valorant Champions 2025 underway, Riot Games has officially disclosed details about the upcoming VCT season, including the venues for next year’s major events.
As confirmed by Riot, the VCT 2026 season will introduce several significant changes that were initially planned for 2027. Still, the developers have decided to roll them out a bit earlier in hopes of creating a more “open” circuit with more events and a bigger variety of competition.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at everything you need to know before heading into the next VCT season.
Valorant Masters 2026 Locations
For the first time in history, Valorant Masters will head to LATAM, with the opening Masters event of 2026 set to take place in Santiago, Chile. This marks the game’s return to South America since the LOCK//IN event way back in February 2023.
The second Valorant Masters event of the year will head to London, England, also marking the city’s debut as a stage for a global Valorant event.
The VCT Season will culminate with the Valorant Champions 2026 in Shanghai, China, where the world champion will be crowned.
Riot Reveals Major Changes for VCT 2026
Alongside revealing the venues for the major events of VCT 2026, Riot Games has also revealed some big changes for the upcoming season.
Moving forward, the final weekends of each Stage 2 Playoffs will be destination events, providing more opportunities for fans to show support for their favorite teams and attend the tournaments in person. The VCT China league will span across five major cities over the course of the season.
The Kickoff event will also see some major changes moving forward, with the event running longer and shifting to a triple-elimination format.
“Starting 2026, every competition in the VCT will feature high stakes, do-or-die bracket-style play,” Leo Faria, Global Head of Valorant Esports, said in a statement. “That includes Kickoff, IL stage competitions, and global events.”
Lastly, starting in 2026, Riot is replacing Ascension with a new Path to Champions system. Under this change, teams from Challengers leagues will have the opportunity to qualify directly for Valorant Champions via their respective Stage 2 Playoffs. Four Challengers teams, one from each region, will be able to earn this shot, with Riot providing the necessary travel support and financial resources.