More than 50 tournaments, open qualifiers from November and guaranteed money for every open team that makes it to a VCT event. Riot Games has revealed where and when the first season of its new tournament-first circuit will be played.
Riot Games has published the full schedule for the 2027 VALORANT Champions Tour. The season will run from January to October across 15 cities, with Masters events in Seoul and Valencia and VALORANT Champions in Austin, Texas.
The new structure was first announced in April. Instead of long regional leagues, the VCT becomes a series of tournaments: regional Opens, Kickoff, two rounds of Cups, two Masters events and Champions. Riot says there will be more than 50 tournaments in total.
The 2027 calendar
| Event | Dates | Host city |
|---|---|---|
| Kickoff | 14 January to 7 February | São Paulo (Americas), Berlin (EMEA), Bangkok (Pacific), Hangzhou (China) |
| Masters | 20 February to 3 March | Seoul |
| Cup | 29 April to 23 May | Mexico City (Americas), Warsaw (EMEA), Manila (Pacific), Wuhan (China) |
| Masters | 5 to 20 June | Valencia |
| Cup | 5 to 29 August | Rio de Janeiro (Americas), Istanbul (EMEA), Tokyo (Pacific), Shanghai (China) |
| Champions and Game Changers Championship | 16 September to 10 October | Austin |
Every regional event moves to a new city during the year, so no region stays in one studio. Seoul returns as a VCT host after Champions 2024.
Partner teams have to earn their place after Kickoff
In 2027, partner teams keep a direct place at Kickoff, but “after Kickoff, advancement is about performance”, Riot wrote in its announcement. Teams from the Opens will compete with partner teams for places at the Cups, Masters and Champions.
The qualifiers for Kickoff begin in November 2026. In Riot’s announcement video, Head of VALORANT Studios Anna Donlon and Global Head of VALORANT Esports Leo Faria described the Opens as the place “where local heroes are crowned”, with the best teams moving on to Cups, Masters and Champions. “So the whole point is that anyone can win,” they said.
Money for open teams
Riot is also guaranteeing payments to open teams that qualify, on top of prize money:
- $100,000 for qualifying for a Kickoff or a Cup
- $200,000 for qualifying for a Masters
- $400,000 for qualifying for Champions
According to Riot, an open team that puts together a strong enough season can make more than $1 million.
Game Changers finale moves to Champions
The Game Changers Championship, the top event of Riot’s circuit for women and marginalised genders, will be played alongside Champions in Austin. Earlier editions were held in Riot’s studios in São Paulo, Berlin and Seoul. Every team that qualifies for the Game Changers Championship will receive $100,000.
The Ghost replaces the Classic
There is also a change for players outside the pro scene. The 2027 esports bundle will feature the Ghost instead of the Classic, which has been the bundle’s pistol for four years.
The announcement came on the eve of the final weekend of VALORANT Champions 2026 in Shanghai. Vitality, LOUD, 100 Thieves and G2 play for the title, with the grand final on Sunday.
