The 2027 season introduces a revised structure for how teams compete and qualify.
VALORANT developer Riot Games has announced a major format change for the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT), confirming that from 2027 onwards, “everything is a tournament” as the circuit moves to a fully event-based structure.
Revealed in an official press release on Wednesday (8 April), Riot confirmed that the 2027 season will replace league play with a tournament model built around LAN events, open qualification, and direct routes into Masters and Champions, with every tournament falling under a unified system and single tier of competition.
The new structure is built on three points: “every match should carry weight”, “the path to global events should be open”, and “live events should visit more locations”.
“VCT 2027 is about reimagining how teams compete and how fans experience VALORANT esports," Leo Farria, Global Head of VALORANT Esports said. "By shifting to a tournament-driven system with open access to our biggest events, we’re creating a more dynamic, high-stakes ecosystem where every match matters and every team has a shot at the global stage.”What is changing in VCT 2027?
The VCT will move away from league splits and operate entirely through tournaments. A new event type, VCT Cups, will sit at the centre of the system.
Each region will host two Cups per year, eight in total globally. These events will:
- Replace regular season league play
- Be played on LAN across Riot studios and other venues
- End with a finals weekend in front of fans
- Send teams directly to Masters and Champions
There will be over 20 tournaments per year across more than 16 cities worldwide. Kickoff events will remain at the start of the season, with qualifiers taking place in Q4 after Champions.
How will teams qualify for Masters and Champions in 2027?
From 2027, all teams will begin through Open Qualifiers, which are available globally. Teams will have “multiple opportunities, multiple times a year, to make it all the way to the biggest stages in the VCT”. Qualification routes may include:
- Community tournaments
- Partner events
- Collegiate competitions
- Premier
Non-partner teams will no longer rely on a single Ascension slot. Instead, they can enter multiple events across the season. Top non-partner teams can earn Championship Points and prize money throughout the year and, “in extraordinary cases, even earn more than bottom of the pack partner teams”.
Open ecosystem and prize pool distribution for VCT 2027
Each tournament will have its own prize allocation, increasing by tier:
- Cups to Masters (approximately double)
- Masters to Champions (doubling again)
Non-partner teams will have broader access to financial support across the circuit, with cash incentives linked to qualification at each stage and eligibility for prize pools spanning regional and international events.
Total prize pools of over US$6 million per year has been confirmed, alongside:
- Fully funded travel for global events
- Early distribution of funds for Cup teams to cover logistics such as visas
- A portion of funding allocated to Game Changers
More than US$86 million was shared with teams last year through in-game digital goods, adding that it wants “every team that competes at the highest level to have a path to this same financial success”.
Partnership model reset for VCT 2027
A new two-year partnership cycle will begin in 2027, with applications now open.
Teams will be assessed on:
- Community engagement
- Organisational sustainability
- Competitive performance
- Infrastructure
Partner teams will receive:
- Guaranteed base payments
- Performance-based bonuses
- Team Capsules
- Direct seeding into later stages of qualifiers
Riot said partners remain “essential to ensuring the success of the VCT”.
The publisher added that this structure allows top-performing non-partner teams to earn across multiple events and, in some cases, exceed the earnings of lower-ranked partner teams, while extending more consistent funding across the wider competitive ecosystem.
VCT Cups and global schedule
VCT Cups will feed directly into international events and replace the existing league structure. This will look like:
- Two Cups per region each year
- LAN play across Riot studios and external venues
- Finals held as live events with audiences
In total, the circuit will include more than 20 tournaments annually, held across over 16 cities.
Further details on regional calendars, slot allocation, Game Changers, and event locations will be confirmed ahead of Champions, as Riot finalises the 2027 competitive structure.
