Valorant Champions Tour History

Lore & Background

The VCT was announced in November 2020, divided into three tiers: Challengers, Masters, and Champions. In February 2021, Riot announced the VCT Game Changers, a supplementary tournament for women and marginalized genders. The 2021 Champions tournament took place December 1–12 at Verti Music Hall in Berlin, concluding with team defeating Gambit Esports 3–2. Over 10,000 teams competed in 2021.

The Reykjavík Masters in May had a peak viewership of 1,085,850; the Champions grand finals reached 1,089,068. For 2022, the number of Challengers and Masters stages was reduced from three to two. In 2023, Riot introduced a franchised format with three international regions (Americas, EMEA, Pacific) replacing the previous seven regions. 30 partner teams were selected for 2023–2027. In June 2023, Riot confirmed Valorant would launch in China in July under the name 无畏契约, with a VCT league planned for 2024.

The franchising system was criticized for harming tier 2 teams, leading to early termination in 2026. On April 8, 2026, Riot announced a new format for 2027, retaining the three-split system with regional open qualifiers, no tier 2 system, and a two-year partnership cycle.

Reader's Guide

The VCT is structured into three tiers: Challengers, Masters, and Champions. From 2023 to 2026, franchised International Leagues (Americas, EMEA, Pacific) each had 10 partner teams, with non-partner teams qualifying through Challengers and Ascension events. The China League (VCT CN) launched in 2024 with 10 partner teams and two additional teams via China Ascension. From 2027, the format uses open qualifiers across four major regions, with top teams advancing to Cups, Masters, and Champions.

Did You Know?

• The 2021 Champions tournament was held at Verti Music Hall in Berlin, Germany.
• Riot Games ended the franchised era one year early, in 2026, due to tier 2 issues.