VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026 will decide the world champion from September 24 to October 18, bringing 16 teams from the four VCT regions to China for the biggest VALORANT tournament of the year.
The qualification race is still active, but the field is taking shape quickly. As of August 29, 10 teams have secured their places in Shanghai, with the remaining spots coming from the final stages of VCT Pacific and VCT Americas Stage 2.
Frag will track the tournament as the field is completed. You can follow VALORANT live scores, schedules and streams on Frag, including individual match pages with live links and recent team data.
VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026 at a glance
- Dates: September 24 – October 18, 2026
- Location: Shanghai, China
- Teams: 16
- Regions: Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China
- Group stage venue: Jing’an Sports Center
- Finals weekend venue: Mercedes-Benz Arena in Pudong
- Group stage: four GSL-style groups
- Playoffs: eight-team double-elimination bracket
- Grand final: best-of-five
Champions Shanghai is the final global event of the 2026 VCT season. Each of the four international leagues sends four teams – two through Stage 2 placement and two through Championship Points.
Teams qualified for VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026
At publication time, 10 of the 16 places are locked.
VCT China
- TYLOO – VCT China Stage 2 winner
- JD Gaming – VCT China Stage 2 runner-up
- EDward Gaming – Championship Points
- XLG Esports – Championship Points
China is the first region to complete its four-team Champions lineup. TYLOO and JD Gaming reached Shanghai through the Stage 2 final, while EDward Gaming and XLG secured the region’s Championship Points places.
VCT EMEA
- FUT Esports – Championship Points
- Team Vitality – Championship Points
- Karmine Corp – Stage 2 qualification
- Team Liquid – Stage 2 qualification
EMEA’s field is also complete. FUT Esports and Vitality were already safe through Championship Points before Karmine Corp and Team Liquid locked the remaining places during the closing stages of the EMEA Stage 2 playoffs.
Team Liquid secured its Champions place after beating Fire Flux Esports 2-0. You can review the Team Liquid vs Fire Flux match page on Frag.
VCT Pacific
- Paper Rex – Championship Points
- Nongshim RedForce – Championship Points
- Two Stage 2 places still to be decided
Paper Rex were among the earliest teams to secure Shanghai qualification after building a large Championship Points lead during the season.
Nongshim RedForce later locked another Pacific place during the Stage 2 playoffs. Two additional Pacific teams will qualify through the Stage 2 final, completing the region’s four-team lineup.
VCT Americas
- Four places still to be decided at publication time
VCT Americas is the least settled region in the qualification race. Two teams will qualify by reaching the Stage 2 final, while the two highest eligible Championship Points teams will take the remaining places.
Frag has been following that race throughout Stage 2. See our VCT Americas Stage 2 bracket and qualification guide for the regional picture before Champions.
How teams qualify for Champions Shanghai
Each VCT region receives four places at Champions.
The qualification system has two routes:
- Stage 2 finalists – the top two teams from each region’s Stage 2 playoffs qualify directly
- Championship Points – the top two eligible teams in each region’s season-long points standings also qualify
If a team that is already high in the Championship Points standings reaches the Stage 2 final, the points qualification moves to the next eligible team. That is why the exact final field can shift quickly as regional playoff brackets progress.
The result is a 16-team field with four representatives from Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China.
Champions Shanghai format
The 16 qualified teams begin in four groups of four. Riot uses a GSL-style double-elimination format for the group stage, with all group matches played as best-of-three series.
Two teams from each group advance, reducing the field from 16 to eight.
The playoffs then use a double-elimination bracket. Most playoff matches are best-of-three, while the lower final and grand final are best-of-five.
That structure gives teams a second chance after one playoff loss, but a second defeat ends the tournament.
Champions Shanghai dates and venues
VALORANT Champions Shanghai runs from September 24 to October 18.
The tournament opens at Jing’an Sports Center, which will host the group stage and early bracket matches.
For the final weekend, the event moves to Mercedes-Benz Arena in Pudong. Riot has confirmed that the larger arena will host the closing stage of the tournament, including the matches that decide the 2026 world champion.
The move gives Champions a two-venue setup inside Shanghai, with the biggest stage reserved for the end of the event.
Champions Shanghai tickets
Riot has announced the first ticket details for the group stage and early playoffs.
- Mastercard priority purchase begins August 30
- General ticket sales begin September 2
- International fans can purchase through MAISEAT
- Tickets use a real-name system and are non-transferable
- International visitors need the same valid passport used when buying the ticket
Ticket prices vary by day and seating tier. Fans planning to attend should pay particular attention to the identity requirements because Riot says entry information must match the identification used during purchase.
How to watch VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026
Champions Shanghai will be broadcast through Riot’s official VALORANT Esports channels and regional co-streams.
Frag will list available live streams alongside match pages when the Champions schedule is loaded, making the Frag VALORANT page a useful place to check which series are live, finished or coming next.
The match pages also connect the broadcast with recent results and team statistics, so viewers can check form before moving directly into the stream.
Teams to watch in Shanghai
The final 16-team field is not complete yet, but several qualified teams already arrive with major expectations.
Paper Rex have been one of the strongest Pacific teams across the 2026 season and secured qualification early through Championship Points.
EDward Gaming bring extensive Champions experience and will compete at a home-country world championship. TYLOO and JD Gaming, meanwhile, earned their places through the VCT China Stage 2 final and will have a chance to play their first Champions on home soil.
EMEA sends a varied group. FUT Esports and Vitality qualified through their season-long points performance, while Karmine Corp and Team Liquid earned their way through the decisive Stage 2 playoff phase.
The Americas lineup remains the biggest unknown. Those final regional results will have a major effect on the balance of the Shanghai field.
What happens next in the qualification race?
The remaining six Champions places come from Pacific and Americas.
VCT Pacific and VCT Americas Stage 2 both continue into early September. Once those regional finals are complete, all 16 teams for Champions Shanghai will be known.
After that, attention shifts to the group draw and the opening matchups for September 24.
We will keep following the qualification picture as Champions approaches. For current regional matches, scores and streams, check the latest VALORANT schedule on Frag.