What Valorant esports is
Valorant esports is the professional competitive scene for Riot Games' tactical shooter Valorant. Its top tier is the Valorant Champions Tour, or VCT, a season-long circuit that ends with the world championship, Champions. In 2026 that finale is in Shanghai, China, the first time China has hosted it.
Matches are five-on-five and mostly played as best-of-three series. If you can follow a tournament bracket, you can follow the VCT. The hard part is understanding how the season stacks up, so here it is in order.
The four leagues
Per Riot's official 2026 handbook, the VCT is split into four regions with 12 teams each, 48 in total: Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China. Teams include names such as Sentinels, G2 Esports, Fnatic, Team Liquid, Paper Rex, T1 and Edward Gaming.
These regional leagues are where teams earn their place on the world stage. Nobody qualifies for the big international events without going through them.
“Triple-elimination format where three strikes means elimination.”
Kickoff and the first Masters
The season opens with Kickoff in January and February. Riot describes it as a "triple-elimination format where three strikes means elimination," with the top four teams from Champions 2025 getting a first-round bye. Each league's Kickoff sends three teams on to the first international event, Masters Santiago, which has 12 teams.
Masters events are the mid-season internationals, where teams from different regions meet. They are the best way to see how the regions actually stack up against each other.
Stage 1, Masters London and Stage 2
After Masters Santiago, each league's 12 teams are split into two groups of six for Stage 1, playing round-robin best-of-three matches. The top four in each group reach the Stage 1 Playoffs and the bottom two are eliminated from the stage. The top three from each league's playoffs, 12 teams in all, go to Masters London in June.
Stage 2 runs from June to September with redrawn groups. The top two from each group qualify directly for the playoffs, while the bottom four fight in Play-Ins against the top four Challenger teams. That is how outside teams get a route into the playoffs.
How Champions works
Sixteen teams reach Champions, four from each region. According to Wikipedia's page on the event, eight come from the Stage 2 winners and runners-up and eight earn their seeds through Championship Points collected across the season. Riot's handbook confirms qualification combines Stage 2 results and Championship Points.
The 16 teams are drawn into four groups of four with region diversity, playing best-of-three matches in a double-elimination format. The winners and runners-up of each group, eight teams, advance to the playoffs. Wikipedia lists the group stage at the Jing'an Sports Center and the top four and finals at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. For the live story, see our [Valorant Champions 2026 group stage coverage](/esports/valorant-champions-2026-shanghai-group-stage).
Our take
The VCT is easier to follow than it looks once you see it as a funnel: league play, two Masters, then a 16-team world final. The Championship Points system is the part casual fans miss, because it rewards consistency, not just one hot run. One more thing to keep in mind: Wikipedia notes this is the last Champions of the franchise era, with an open qualifier format returning in 2027, so the structure explained here is specific to 2026.
Frequently asked
What is Valorant esports?
It is the professional competitive scene for the tactical shooter Valorant. Its top circuit is the Valorant Champions Tour, which runs through the season and ends with the Champions world championship.
How does the VCT work?
The 2026 season has four leagues of 12 teams, then Kickoff, Masters Santiago, Stage 1, Masters London, Stage 2 and Champions. Teams advance by results and by earning Championship Points.
How many teams are in VCT 2026?
There are 48 teams, with 12 each in Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China, according to Riot's official handbook.
How many teams play at Champions 2026?
Sixteen teams, four from each of the four regions. They are drawn into four groups of four, and the top two from each group reach the playoffs.
Where is Valorant Champions 2026 held?
In Shanghai, China, with the group stage at the Jing'an Sports Center and the top four and finals at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, according to Wikipedia. It is the first Champions hosted in China.
What is a Championship Point?
Teams earn Championship Points across the season, and the highest earners in each league help fill the Champions field alongside Stage 2 finishers. Riot's handbook does not list the points per result in the pages we reviewed.