VCT Schedule: VALORANT Champions 2026 Finals Full Guide

The VCT VALORANT Champions 2026 Finals are kicking off soon in Shanghai, China. Here’s everything to know about the tournament, its schedule, and how fans can watch.

VCT Champions 2026 Finals: Info, Location

VALORANT’s competitive timeline is heating up, and Champions Shanghai is here. The VCT VALORANT Champions 2026 Shanghai Finals will crown the year’s strongest team as the season reaches its peak. Let’s recap everything fans should know.

Prize Pool

This event has a 2,250,000 USD total prize pool, particularly sizable compared to other VALORANT tournaments. The VCT divides the sum between each winner, with higher placements earning a bigger share. 1st place takes home 1,000,000 USD, and second scores 400,000 USD.

Location

Shanghai, China is the place to be for the final few Champions 2026 games. The top 4 Finals take place in the city’s Mercedes-Benz arena.

Notably, this is the first time in VCT history that the VALORANT Champions will take place in China. The celebration will also include plenty of activities for fans, interaction opportunities, and color casting. It’s part of China’s V26 tour, which includes tons of VALORANT-themed VCT events across the country.

Format

The VCT VALORANT Champions 2026 finals weekend will begin with the Lower Bracket Semifinals. The winner here will progress to the Lower Bracket Finals, while the loser faces elimination. Next, the Upper Bracket Final and Lower Bracket Finals will determine which teams end up in the Grand Final. All of these are Bo3 matches. The Grand Final, however, is a longer Bo5. This one is for all the marbles, and the winner takes home a VCT VALORANT Champions 2026 trophy.

VCT VALORANT Champions 2026 Finals: Schedule and Dates

The Finals will stretch between Friday, October 16 and Sunday, October 18. Here’s a more in-depth schedule:

• October 16:
• 2:00 AM EDT: Upper Bracket Final
• 5:00 AM EDT: Lower Bracket Semifinals
• October 17:
• 3:00 AM EDT: Lower Bracket Final
• October 18:
• 2:00 AM EDT: Grand Final

Possible Showmatch

Leaks from sources including @VALORANTLeaksEN say a showmatch could possibly occur on Saturday, October 17. This isn’t confirmed yet, however. The community theorizes we might get a new Agent reveal during this showmatch.

Previous showmatches, like the VCT Americas 2026 Finals, used VALORANT’s new Override system. This lets viewers make decisions with on-stream polls that affect the players:

“If you don’t remember how the OVERRIDE Showmatch works, the audience makes the rules. The chat will decide how the streamers and pro players play each round, with rules like “Knife or Bandit,” “Right-click only,” “Open comms for both teams,” “No comms,” “Maximum or minimum sensitivity,” and much more.”

All Teams and Players

Here’s a quick recap of all teams and players in the running for the 2026 VCT Champions 2026 Shanghai Finals so far. These are the orgs that have qualified to the Playoffs:

G2 Esports

• valyn
• trent
• jawgemo
• leaf
• babybay

Team Vitality

• Derke
• Sayonara
• Chronicle
• Jamppi
• PROFEK

NRG

• skuba
• mada
• keiko
• Ethan
• brawk

100 Thieves

• vora
• Timotino
• bang
• Cryocells
• Asuna

Paper Rex

• d4v41
• f0rsakeN
• something
• Jinggg
• invy

NS RedForce

• Xross
• Dambi
• Francis
• Ivy
• Rb

How to Watch

Viewers can catch the VCT Champions 2026 Finals on all official VCT channels, like Twitch and YouTube. They can also tune in from specific regions, including:

• VCT Americas
• VCT Pacific
• VCT EMEA

In addition, Riot Games usually releases a list of partnered co-streamers. These influencers will also stream the event on their channels, with special permission from the organizers.

Stay tuned for more VALORANT esports and in-game news!