Riot Games Sends VCT on 15-City Global Tour for 2027 Season

Riot Games’ VALORANT Esports set out the 2027 VALORANT Champions Tour on 15 de outubro de 2026, announcing a tournament-first Global Tour built around Opens, Kickoff, Cups, Masters and Champions, with more than 50 tournaments planned across the year and guaranteed qualification payments for open teams. Kickoff Qualifiers for the 2027 season begin in novembro de 2026.

The post, bylined to Valorant Esports Staff, says Riot has spent the past few years working toward a more open VCT and that in 2027 the approach becomes the foundation of the entire season. Partner teams remain part of the ecosystem, but after Kickoff, advancement is based on performance. Riot said open teams will have real opportunities to enter the VCT, face established organizations and work their way into the season’s largest tournaments, under a structure the publisher summarized as “everything is a tournament.”

What Is New in 2027

The announcement lists more than 50 tournaments across the season, with open qualification running throughout the year and giving aspiring teams repeated chances to enter the VCT. Regional Opens will crown local champions and feed teams toward Cups and global events. Riot called the 2027 schedule the biggest tour it has put together, spanning 15 cities, and said the tournament-first format replaces extended stretches of league play with competition in which every match matters.

Game Changers will conclude at Champions, a change Riot said brings its finale to the biggest VCT audience of the year. A new esports bundle is planned for 2027, with the Ghost taking over for the Classic. The announcement also promises increased financial support for qualifying open teams, including guaranteed qualification payments.

Kickoff Qualifiers Begin in November

The 2027 season starts in 2026, with Kickoff Qualifiers beginning in novembro de 2026 as the first opportunity for teams to earn a place in the 2027 competition. Teams will compete through open qualification paths for spots at Kickoff and, as the season continues, additional Opens will create new routes into Cups.

In a 8 de setembro de 2026 post detailing the Open Qualifiers, Riot said Kickoff in VCT Americas, EMEA and Pacific will each feature 12 teams: eight partner teams and four teams from Open Qualifiers. Regions may host multiple Open Qualifiers, giving teams more than one chance to qualify for Kickoff.

That post told teams registration was not yet open and set out preparation steps: building a competitive roster, making sure players hold valid passports and beginning visa preparations, and following regional channels for registration dates, competition formats and eligibility requirements, including age restrictions and MMR thresholds. In most regions, at least three of the five players on a roster must be from that region. Players must be Ascendant+ and Vanguard Check compliant, and team names and branding must not infringe existing trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual property. Open and creator-led teams that keep at least three of their five players retain their competitive progress throughout the season.

Publicado em qualifier territories cover North America, Latin America North, Latin America South and Brazil in the Americas; Europe, Turkiye and MENA in EMEA; and South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Oceania in the Pacific, with details for those Pacific qualifiers scheduled for early November. The September post listed China Open Qualifiers with additional information coming soon.

Fixed Payments and Performance Paths

The guaranteed payments referenced in the October announcement were itemized in Riot’s 18 de junho de 2026 format post. Starting in 2027, open teams that qualify receive fixed payments of $100,000 for Kickoff or a Cup, $200,000 for Masters and $400,000 for Champions, on top of eligibility for prize pool earnings and additional incentives. A non-partner team that qualifies for the Game Changers Championship will receive an additional $100,000 incentive.

The June post also documented how movement through the season works. At Kickoff, the top three teams from each territory qualify for Masters. Partner teams receive direct entry into Kickoff but are not automatically qualified into every Cup. Teams that place outside the top positions at a Cup or Masters move down into Open Playoffs, where they must fight their way back, and teams with no previous results or poor performances at prior Opens start again at the beginning of the next Open Qualifiers.

VCT CN follows a slightly different structure: Kickoff features eight partner teams, two visitor teams and two teams from Open Qualifiers, with the visitor model continuing as an additional path through promotion and relegation. VCT Pacific adds a Last Chance Qualifier in which the top teams from South Asia and Oceania compete for places at Kickoff and Cups. Riot also updated its Community Competition Guidelines as part of the 2027 transition, saying the changes make it easier for organizers around the world to run VALORANT events.

The first Kickoff Qualifiers begin in novembro de 2026, and details for the Pacific qualifiers are scheduled for early November.