Riot Games unveils 2026 VCT Stage 1 and Stage 2 formats

Riot Games has outlined the structure for the 2026 season of the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT), introducing a revamped competitive format for Stage 1 and Stage 2.

According to the announcement, teams from both the VCT International Leagues and the Tier 2 Challengers ecosystem will have a chance to qualify for Champions Shanghai, marking a shift towards a more open and performance-driven system across the season. But first, they will have to get through various revamped stages.

The 2026 calendar will begin with an expanded Kickoff tournament featuring 12 teams per International League. For the first time, the event will use a triple-elimination format, meaning teams will only be eliminated after three losses.

At the end of Kickoff, three teams from each league will qualify for Masters Santiago. Qualification will be decided across a three-day finale, with one team earning a Masters spot per day.

Following Masters Santiago, Stage 1 of the season will see each International League split into two groups of six teams. Each group will play a single round-robin, with the top four teams advancing to the Stage 1 playoffs.

From there, teams will compete for three qualification spots at Masters London. The bottom two teams in each group will be eliminated from the stage, missing out on both the playoffs and Masters London.

Stage 2 will introduce another major structural change. Groups will be reshuffled, and after the round-robin phase, the top four teams will advance directly to the Stage 2 playoffs. The remaining eight teams will enter a play-in tournament alongside the top four Challengers teams from their respective regions.

Twelve teams will compete in the play-in, with only four advancing to the playoffs. Those teams will join the four directly qualified squads to contest Champions qualification.

At the conclusion of the Stage 2 playoffs, the top two teams will qualify directly for Champions Shanghai. The final two Champions slots will be awarded based on Championship Points accumulated across the season, rewarding consistent performance throughout 2026.

The updated format reinforces Riot Games’ push to connect the tier-one and tier-two ecosystems more closely, while increasing competitive stakes at every stage of the season. With International League teams and Challengers organisations now sharing a clearer path to the biggest VALORANT event of the year, the 2026 VCT season is set to be one of the most competitive to date.