VALORANT Champions 2026 (Shanghai) – full summary (as of Oct 13, 2026)
This is the season-ending world championship of the VALORANT Champions Tour.
Sixteen teams compete (four each from VCT Americas, EMEA, Pacific, and China) for a $2.25 million prize pool.
It is the first Champions held in China. The event runs from September 24 to October 18, 2026.
Group stage and early playoffs take place at Jing’an Sports Center; the finals weekend (October 16–18) moves to Mercedes-Benz Arena in Pudong.
Format Four GSL double-elimination groups (all Bo3) feed an eight-team double-elimination playoff.
Most playoff matches are best-of-three. The Lower Final and Grand Final are best-of-five.
One loss drops a team to the lower bracket; a second loss eliminates them.
Current playoff status Upper bracket: Team Vitality and LOUD are both undefeated in the upper bracket and meet in the Upper Final (Bo3) on October 16.
The winner advances directly to the Grand Final.
The loser drops to the Lower Final and is still guaranteed at least third place.
Lower bracket: 100 Thieves and G2 Esports meet in Lower Round 3 (Bo3) on October 16.
The winner advances to the Lower Final (Bo5) on October 17 against the loser of the Upper Final.
Already eliminated:
- NRG (defending champions) and T1 finished 5th–6th.
- Paper Rex and Nongshim RedForce finished 7th–8th.
- All four China teams exited early and finished in the bottom places.
Key recent results Upper Semifinals (October 10):
- LOUD defeated NRG 2-1 (Haven 13-9, Sunset 10-13, Summit 13-3).
- Vitality defeated G2 2-0 (Abyss 13-11, Split 13-4).
Lower Round 2 (October 11):
- 100 Thieves defeated NRG 2-0.
- G2 defeated T1 2-1.
Group stage note: Vitality previously beat LOUD 2-0 in the Group B winners’ match (Ascent 13-7, Summit 19-17 in overtime).
Remaining schedule (finals weekend)
- October 16: Upper Final — Vitality vs LOUD (Bo3).
- Also Lower Round 3 — 100 Thieves vs G2 (Bo3). Matches are early morning for U.S. viewers (roughly the 1–2 AM CDT range depending on exact start times).
- October 17: Lower Final (Bo5).
- October 18: Grand Final (Bo5).
Prize pool
1st: $1,000,000
2nd: $400,000
3rd: $250,000
4th: $130,000
5th–6th: $85,000 each
7th–8th: $50,000 each
9th–12th: $30,000 each
13th–16th: $20,000 each
Showmatch A celebrity showmatch runs during the finals weekend (reports point to October 16 or 17).
Team Alpha is captained by Chinese singer/actor Karry Wang (TFBoys) and includes local talent such as Bilibili Gaming’s whzy plus Chinese creators.
Team Omega is captained by TenZ and includes ohnePixel, keshi, FIFTY FIFTY’s Athena, and Dabin.
Fan-voted chaotic rules are expected.
Streams Official VALORANT Esports channels on Twitch and YouTube.
A celebrity showmatch runs during the finals weekend (reports point to October 16 or 17).
Team Alpha is captained by Chinese singer/actor Karry Wang (TFBoys) and includes local talent such as Bilibili Gaming’s whzy plus Chinese creators.
Team Omega is captained by TenZ and includes ohnePixel, keshi, FIFTY FIFTY’s Athena, and Dabin.
Fan-voted chaotic rules are expected.
Streams Official VALORANT Esports channels on Twitch and YouTube.
