Riot Reveals VCT 2027 Global Tour: Schedule, Champions Location, and More Changes

VALORANT Champions Shanghai is coming to a close, and we’re getting closer to the next VCT season. With a new season, teams will be shifting around their rosters and making big moves. Riot is getting some major changes ready, too: the competitive team has just revealed a full VCT 2027 schedule and all key locations.

Here’s a recap of everything players should know before the circuit starts.

VCT 2027 Locations: Masters Seoul, Masters Valencia, Champions Austin

Next year, the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) is going worldwide. Its competition will open in 14 regions, with “over 50 tournaments in total.” Riot has already revealed its most important locations: fans from Asia, Europe, and the Americas can all convene to watch matches in person. Masters Seoul, Masters Valencia, and Champions Austin are the events to watch.

First, Masters Seoul will take viewers to Seoul, South Korea. Riot esports fans should already be familiar, as the country hosts tons of League of Legends tourneys and is home to major teams like T1. In fact, T1 has also become prominent in the VALORANT space recently, winning Masters Bangkok 2025. They also qualified to the Champions Shanghai Playoffs.

Next, Masters Valencia brings us to Spain. This coastal city borders the Balearic Sea. It’s an ideal vacation getaway, but plaers and fans will both be locked in as they watch the action.

Where is VALORANT Champions 2027?

Finally, Champions Austin is the biggest event of the year. The 2027 VALORANT Champions tournament will take place in Austin, Texas, a city with in-depth FPS lore. Texas is home to some of the organizations that started it all for NA FPS esports: OpTic, Complexity, and Envy all have history here. Plus, it’s already hosted key events in the Counter-Strike sphere.

More Tournaments and Regions

VCT 2027 is expanding to become more international. Leo Faria, VALORANT’s Global Head of Esports and VCT Commissioner, says the year will launch in 14 regions and include over 50 tournaments. In addition, the Riot team will host events in 15 cities worldwide, so the circuit’s reach will be wider than before.

This means there will be better integration between all levels of tournament. We’ll see more emphasis on Open Qualifiers and Cups alongside Masters and Champions. The goal is “a more open VCT, one where a team can emerge locally, earn its way into bigger competitions, and keep going as long as it keeps winning.”

New Format: VCT 2027 Kickoff Starts in 2026?

Next year, the VCT format will look very different. Riot is shifting away from partnered team dynasties and putting more opportunities out there that keep the system flowing and introduce new talent.

We’ll still see Masters and Champions, but Kickoff events will get changes and more Open Qualifiers will determine who makes it into the year’s biggest tournaments.

According to Riot infographics, we’ll see three Open qualifier phases for each big main event. Open Qualifiers for Kickoffs 2027 are already starting soon. They’ll go live in November 2026.

VCT 2027 Official Schedule

We already have the main schedule for the VCT 2027 season. Riot Games has announced the following:

• Kickoff Open Qualifiers: Nov-Dec 2026
• Kickoff: January 14 – Feb 7
• Masters Seoul Open Qualifiers and Play-In: Jan-Feb 2027
• Masters Seoul: Feb 20 – March 3
• Cups Open Qualifiers and Playoffs: March-April 2027
• Cups (Mexico City, Warsaw, Manila, Wuhan): April 29 – May 21
• Masters Valencia Open Qualifiers and Play-Ins: May-June 2027
• Masters Valencia: June 5 – June 20
• Cups Open Qualifiers and Playoffs: June-July 2027
• Cups (Rio de Janiero, Istanbul, Tokyo, Shanghai): August 1 – August 29
• Champions Austin 2027: September 16 – October 10

Larger Prize Pool

The VCT 2027 financial sphere is expanding. In addition to rewarding teams who win big events, Riot is providing support to teams who qualify to events. There are “tens of millions of dollars on the line,” and they’ll go to all different levels of placements.

For example, Leo Faria states that teams who qualify to Kickoff earn 100,000 USD. Meanwhile, teams that progress from a Cup to a Masters win 200,000, and they get 400,000 USD for qualifying to Champs.

Faria also confirmed that over 7 million USD is exclusively for prize pools, meaning the stakes will be higher.

Game Changers Championship at Champions 2027

For five years, Riot Games has operated its Game Changers tournament. This circuit is exclusively for women and gender non-conforming people, boosting their visibility in esports overall with the goal to eventually integrate with the main VCT. It has gained its own cult following and brought key names to the forefront, like meL, mimi, alexis, Noia, and other star players.

In 2027, Riot is hosting the Game Changers Championship at Champions 2027, making it more visible than ever. The studio is also setting aside 1 million USD to support it. Core VCT teams get rewards for setting up and continuing their GCC rosters, and VCT fans can watch both tourneys at once.

New Team Capsules: Different Weapons

Previously, most VCT Team Capsules included the Classic. While it gets plenty of use, this is also just the default gun, so players have wanted to try something different. In VCT 2027, Riot is switching the Team Capsules to the Ghost. Other weapons may follow in the future.

VCT 2027 FAQs

Before we close off, let’s recap the key points from the VCT 2027 updates.

Where is VALORANT Champions 2027?

VALORANT Champions 2027 is in Austin, Texas.

When is VALORANT Champions Austion 2027?

Champions Austin 2027 spans from September 16 to October 10.

Where are the VALORANT Masters in VCT 2027?

This year’s Masters tournaments are in Seoul, South Korea and Valencia, Spain.

Where are the Cups in VCT 2027?

VCT 2027 has eight total Cups. These are in 2 waves. The first wave has cups in Mexico City, Warsaw, Manila, and Wuhan. The second phase is in Rio de Janiero, Istanbul, Tokyo, and Shanghai.

Stay tuned for more VALORANT news, and keep an eye on the official Riot page too for updates.