The field is complete for VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026. Sixteen teams from Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China will meet in Shanghai from September 24 to October 18 to decide the 2026 VALORANT world champion.
The group draw is also locked, so every team now knows its first opponent. The tournament opens with Team Liquid vs Paper Rex and TYLOO vs G2 Esports on September 24 before the four GSL-style groups narrow the field to eight playoff teams.
For live match pages, schedules and streams during the event, follow the Frag VALORANT page.
VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026 at a glance
- Dates – September 24 to October 18, 2026
- Location – Shanghai, China
- Teams – 16
- Regions – Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China
- Group stage – September 24 to October 4
- Playoffs – October 7 to October 18
- Group format – four GSL-style groups, all matches best-of-three
- Playoff format – eight-team double-elimination bracket
- Lower bracket final and grand final – best-of-five
- Early venue – Jing’an Sports Center
- Finals weekend venue – Mercedes-Benz Arena in Pudong
- Prize pool – $2.25 million
Champions is the final global event of the 2026 VCT season. Each international league sends four teams – the top two from Stage 2 and the top two eligible teams through Championship Points.
Full 16-team field for Champions Shanghai
VCT Americas
- 100 Thieves – Stage 2 winner
- LOUD – Stage 2 runner-up
- NRG – Championship Points
- G2 Esports – Championship Points
100 Thieves arrive after winning VCT Americas Stage 2, with LOUD joining them through the regional final. NRG and G2 secured the other two Americas places through Championship Points.
NRG also enter Shanghai as the defending world champions after winning Champions Paris in 2025, giving the Americas field a returning title holder alongside three teams that took different routes through the 2026 season.
VCT EMEA
- Karmine Corp – Stage 2 winner
- Team Liquid – Stage 2 runner-up
- FUT Esports – Championship Points
- Team Vitality – Championship Points
Karmine Corp completed a major late-season turnaround by winning EMEA Stage 2, while Team Liquid reached the final to qualify directly. FUT Esports and Team Vitality had already built enough Championship Points to secure the remaining EMEA places.
VCT Pacific
- Global Esports – Stage 2 winner
- Nongshim RedForce – Stage 2 runner-up
- Paper Rex – Championship Points
- T1 – Championship Points
Global Esports and Nongshim RedForce earned direct qualification through the Pacific Stage 2 final. Paper Rex and T1 complete the region through Championship Points, giving Pacific four teams with extensive international experience mixed with a Stage 2 champion arriving in strong form.
VCT China
- TYLOO – Stage 2 winner
- JD Gaming – Stage 2 runner-up
- EDward Gaming – Championship Points
- Xi Lai Gaming – Championship Points
China gets four home-region teams for the first Champions held in the country. TYLOO won VCT China Stage 2, JD Gaming finished second, and EDward Gaming and Xi Lai Gaming qualified through points.
EDward Gaming also bring world championship history after winning Champions 2024. That makes Shanghai a home-country Champions appearance for a previous world champion as well as the first Champions appearance in China for TYLOO and JD Gaming.
Champions Shanghai groups and opening matches
The draw placed one team from each region into every group. Two wins send a team through, while two losses eliminate it.
Group A
- 100 Thieves
- JD Gaming
- FUT Esports
- T1
Opening matches on September 27:
- 100 Thieves vs T1
- JD Gaming vs FUT Esports
100 Thieves enter as the Americas Stage 2 champions, but Group A also includes T1 and FUT – two teams with international experience – plus a JD Gaming side playing Champions on home soil.
Group B
- Global Esports
- LOUD
- EDward Gaming
- Team Vitality
Opening matches on September 26:
- Global Esports vs Team Vitality
- LOUD vs EDward Gaming
Group B immediately creates a cross-regional test for Pacific Stage 2 winner Global Esports, while LOUD vs EDward Gaming pairs one of the most recognizable Americas organizations with China’s 2024 world champions.
Group C
- TYLOO
- Team Liquid
- Paper Rex
- G2 Esports
Opening matches on September 24:
- Team Liquid vs Paper Rex
- TYLOO vs G2 Esports
Group C gets the tournament’s opening day. TYLOO arrive as China’s Stage 2 winners, G2 come through the Americas points race, and Team Liquid vs Paper Rex puts two experienced international teams into an immediate elimination-format pressure test.
Group D
- Karmine Corp
- Nongshim RedForce
- NRG
- Xi Lai Gaming
Opening matches on September 25:
- Nongshim RedForce vs NRG
- Karmine Corp vs Xi Lai Gaming
The defending world champions begin against Pacific Stage 2 runner-up Nongshim RedForce. Karmine Corp, meanwhile, come in as EMEA Stage 2 champions and open against Xi Lai Gaming.
How the Champions Shanghai format works
The 16 teams start in four GSL-style groups of four. Every group match is best-of-three.
A team advances after two match wins and is eliminated after two match losses. The top two teams from each group move on, cutting the field from 16 to eight.
The playoffs begin on October 7 and use a double-elimination bracket. Most playoff series are best-of-three, but the lower bracket final and grand final are best-of-five. The grand final is scheduled for October 18.
This format rewards consistency across multiple opponents. A team can survive one loss in both the group stage and the playoff bracket, but there is little room for a slow start once the second elimination match arrives.
The biggest storylines before Shanghai
NRG have the clearest historical target – defend the title they won in Paris in 2025. Their path back to Champions came through Championship Points rather than the Americas Stage 2 final, so Shanghai starts with a different type of pressure from last year’s run.
China has the home-stage storyline. TYLOO and JD Gaming qualified through Stage 2, while EDward Gaming and Xi Lai Gaming came through points. EDward Gaming’s 2024 world title also means the host region has a former Champions winner in the field.
The regional Stage 2 winners give the draw another layer. 100 Thieves, Karmine Corp, Global Esports and TYLOO all arrive as the most recent domestic champions from their leagues, but the GSL format immediately mixes those teams with experienced international opponents.
There is also no regionally isolated group. Every group contains one representative from Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China, so the opening phase is built around direct cross-region comparisons rather than domestic rematches.
Where Champions Shanghai will be played
Champions begins at Jing’an Sports Center, which hosts the group stage and early playoff rounds. The tournament then moves across Shanghai for the closing weekend at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Pudong.
The two-venue setup gives the event a smaller early-stage home before the final matches move into the larger arena for the world championship finish.
How to watch VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026
Riot will broadcast Champions Shanghai through the official VALORANT Esports channels and approved regional co-streams.
Frag will carry the tournament schedule with match pages, live status, streams and recent team information. Check the VALORANT live scores and schedule on Frag as the event begins.
For more background on qualification, venues and the route to Shanghai, see our earlier VALORANT Champions Shanghai qualification guide.
Champions Shanghai starts September 24 with Team Liquid vs Paper Rex and TYLOO vs G2 Esports. By October 18, one of the 16 teams will leave Shanghai as the 2026 VALORANT world champion.