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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThe 2026 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) runs from Kickoff in January to Champions Shanghai, which concludes on October 18. VCT has 48 Tier 1 teams across the Americas, EMEA, Pacific, and China. Use the official VALORANT Esports schedule for the next match, current start time, teams, score, and best-of-three or best-of-five designation; use the event’s official VOD page to replay completed games.
2026 VCT schedule at a glance
The season calendar below gives the published date windows. Match slots, results, and occasionally event details change during a live season, so treat the official schedule as the authority for an individual match rather than relying on a static calendar.
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| Event | Published dates | What it represents |
|---|---|---|
| Kickoff | January 15–February 15, 2026 | Opening competition for the four VCT territories |
| Masters Santiago | February 28–March 16, 2026 | First global Masters event |
| Stage 1 | April 1–May 24, 2026 | Regional International League competition |
| Masters London | June 6–June 21, 2026 | Second global Masters event |
| Stage 2 | June 30–September 6, 2026 | Regional competition with Challenger-team Play-Ins and playoffs |
| Champions Shanghai | September 24–October 18, 2026 | Season-ending world championship |
Finding the next match
- Open the official VALORANT Esports schedule.
- Filter or scroll to the territory, league, or event you follow.
- Read the current date, start time, opponents, event name, and match label. The page identifies whether the series is Bo3 or Bo5 when that information applies.
- Convert the displayed time to your local time zone and check again shortly before the broadcast. The schedule is updated as matches are rescheduled, completed, or assigned a result.
A date range such as June 30–September 6 identifies the stage window, not a guaranteed daily match time. The schedule page is therefore more reliable than a search result, social post, or old bracket image.
Which teams and regions are in VCT?
VCT is VALORANT’s Tier 1 competition. Riot’s 2026 league handbook divides 48 teams among four territories:
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- EMEA
- Pacific
- China
That is 12 Tier 1 organizations per territory in the 2026 circuit. The handbook lists participating organizations by territory, while each league page shows the active event field. Because qualification and roster eligibility are season-specific, check the current handbook and league page when you need an authoritative team list instead of copying a historical standings page.
How to check a team’s current status
- Start with the relevant Americas, EMEA, Pacific, or China league page on the official VALORANT Esports site.
- Confirm that the organization appears in the current stage or event field, not only in a previous stage.
- Open the match listing to see the opponent and scheduled series date.
- For a player-level question, use the roster information attached to that league or event and check its update date.
Riot’s roster-lock and player-movement rules can change who is eligible to play. A team’s five-player lineup is therefore a time-sensitive fact: verify it immediately before publishing a preview, watch guide, or prediction.
How VCT stages and qualification work
Stage 1: two groups of six
In Stage 1, each International League has 12 teams divided into two groups of six. Every group uses a single round-robin, so each team plays the other five teams in its group once. That produces five matches per team over the five-week stage. Stage 1 matches are best-of-three series.
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The group structure matters when reading a table: a team’s five-match schedule is determined by its group, and a result against a group opponent is not the same as a cross-group match because there is no cross-group round-robin in this stage.
Stage 2: redrawn groups and Challenger Play-Ins
Stage 2 redraws the groups and introduces Challenger teams through Play-Ins. The Play-Ins use a double-elimination format, giving a team a second bracket life after one loss. Play-In survivors advance to join International League teams in the playoffs.
When you see a Stage 2 fixture, first identify whether it is an International League match, a Play-In match, or a playoff match. Those labels describe different qualification routes and should not be treated as interchangeable regular-season games.
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Champions Shanghai
Champions Shanghai is the 2026 world championship. It has 16 teams split into four groups. Group matches are best-of-three. The playoff bracket is double elimination; its lower final and grand final are best-of-five.
The tournament’s official explainer describes the field as 16 teams from the Americas, China, EMEA, and Pacific competing for the 2026 world title. A Champions match can therefore be a group series or a playoff series, and the bracket position determines whether the longer Bo5 format applies.
What do Bo3 and Bo5 mean?
Best-of-three (Bo3)
A Bo3 series is won by the first team to win two maps. It can finish in two maps or continue to a third. Stage 1 regional matches and Champions Shanghai group matches use this format, and many other regular-season fixtures are labeled Bo3 on the schedule.
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Best-of-five (Bo5)
A Bo5 series is won by the first team to win three maps, so it can last three, four, or five maps. At Champions Shanghai, the lower final and grand final are Bo5. The official schedule’s Bo3 or Bo5 tag is the quickest way to confirm the format for a particular fixture.
Why series length affects viewing plans
- A Bo3 has a shorter maximum map count than a Bo5, but the start time and breaks still vary by broadcast.
- A Bo5 final can run substantially longer, so do not schedule an exact end time from the listed start alone.
- Individual map results may appear as separate game tabs on the official replay page even though the live broadcast is one series.
Where to watch VCT live
The official VALORANT Esports schedule is the starting point for live viewing. It provides the event name, teams, date, current start time, score when available, and series format. Open the match or event entry to follow its current broadcast links.
Broadcast language and channel availability vary by territory. An Americas stream may not be the same channel as a Pacific, EMEA, or China stream, and language feeds can change between events. Follow the links shown on the current event page rather than assuming that a channel used for a previous match will carry the next one.
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Live-viewing checklist
- Check the schedule on the day of the match.
- Confirm the territory and event name.
- Read the displayed local start time and convert it if necessary.
- Use the event page’s current broadcast link and language option.
- Refresh the schedule if a match has not started at the originally listed time.
How to find a replay or VOD
Completed matches are available through official VALORANT Esports VOD pages. Those pages embed YouTube playback and can expose individual game tabs, allowing you to jump to a particular map instead of watching the entire series from the beginning.
- Open the official VALORANT Esports schedule and locate the completed match.
- Select the match or event entry to open its details.
- Choose the VOD or replay option attached to that completed fixture.
- Use the embedded player for the full broadcast, or select an individual game tab when the page provides map-by-map access.
- Verify the opponent names, event, and completion status before sharing the replay, especially when two series occurred on the same day.
If the replay is not visible
- The match is still live or pending: VOD controls may not appear until the series is marked completed.
- The event page changed: return to the schedule and open the current match entry rather than an old bookmark.
- A language feed is missing: channel availability differs by territory; check the event page for another official feed.
- The player loads but a map tab does not: use the full-series playback. Individual game tabs are exposed only when the VOD page supplies them.
- The result looks wrong: refresh the schedule. Scores and completion states can update after the broadcast ends.
How to compare two VCT events
When two matches or tournaments appear similar, compare them on the dimensions that affect qualification and viewing:
| Comparison question | What to check |
|---|---|
| Regional or global? | Stage 1 and Stage 2 are regional International League competitions; Masters events and Champions are global events. |
| How does a team qualify? | Check whether the entry comes through an International League field, a Stage 2 Challenger Play-In, or the Champions event qualification path shown on the event page. |
| What bracket is used? | Stage 1 uses group round-robins; Stage 2 Play-Ins and the Champions playoff use double elimination. |
| How long can a series run? | Read the Bo3 or Bo5 label. Champions group matches are Bo3, while its lower final and grand final are Bo5. |
| Is it live or on demand? | A future listing is a live fixture; a completed listing can lead to the official VOD page. |
Rosters, locks, and last-minute changes
Rosters are not permanent snapshots. Riot’s season rules include roster-lock and player-movement restrictions, and a team can have a different eligible five than it had in an earlier stage. A published article should identify the date on which its lineup information was checked and direct readers to the current league or event page for confirmation.
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- Open the team’s current league or event entry.
- Check the listed active players and any eligibility or roster-lock note.
- Compare the lineup with the match page for the specific fixture.
- Recheck on match day if a substitution, transfer, or emergency replacement has been reported.
Do not treat an old tournament graphic, third-party tracker, or archived announcement as more authoritative than Riot’s current event page.
Quick Recap
Key answers in one place
- There are four VCT territories: Americas, EMEA, Pacific, and China.
- The 2026 season runs from January 15 Kickoff through Champions Shanghai, scheduled for September 24–October 18.
- VCT contains 48 Tier 1 teams across those territories.
- Regional Stage 1 matches are Bo3, and Champions group matches are Bo3.
- Champions Shanghai has 16 teams in four groups, followed by a double-elimination playoff; its lower final and grand final are Bo5.
- The official schedule is the best source for current times and scores, while official VOD pages provide replay access.
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