Speaking during a panel ahead of the VALORANT Champions grand final in Paris, Riot Games members gave insights into the sweeping changes coming to the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) circuit in 2026. This included peeks into Stage 2 playoff formats — welcoming Challengers teams in all regions — as well as the stipends available for teams and how much orgs have benefited financially from revenue-sharing initiatives in VCT 2026.
Challengers orgs can get to VALORANT Champions – reasoning and finances behind VCT 2026 changes
As announced in the past week, VCT 2026 will, for the first time, see tier two Challengers teams afforded the opportunity to qualify to VALORANT Champions. Four Challengers teams will enter Stage 2 playoffs in each of the international leagues — Pacific, China, the Americas, and EMEA — and will fight with tier one sides as they aim for Champs qualification.
Speaking on the panel, Leo Faria, Global Head of VALORANT Esports, explained that these sides entering playoffs will do so with no handicaps, explaining how the idea to have them enter the lower bracket was struck down to “give them a fair shot”
“You still have to beat the best teams in the world to get to Champions”
Bill Pan, Head of Product Strategy, also expanded on the overall decision to add a route for Challengers teams to get to the game’s grandest tournament, touting sustainability for tier two as a key factor with revenue-sharing opportunities available.
Riley Yurk, working on VALORANT product strategy, revealed that all teams that reach Stage 2 playoffs next year will receive a guaranteed $75k prior to prize pool winnings, while teams currently at Champs Paris are on course to rake in more than $700k, up from an average of $500k over recent seasons. The ability for tier two orgs to get in on the action aims to give them an opportunity to “climb up the ladder and earn additional funds”.
“Sustainability really is a big part; we want to start to offer that to the non-partner teams in our ecosystem as well.”
Faria also outlined the developer’s wish to have the VCT circuit a system that is both “semi-closed” and “semi-open”. Currently, tier two teams are able to qualify for tier one leagues via regional Ascension tournaments, granting them a spot in the upper league the following year, where they can then make a run for Champs.
This year saw three Ascension teams make it: G2 Esports, three-time VCT Americas winners in 2025, as well as Dragon Ranger Gaming and Xi Lai Gaming in VCT China.
This process, Faria said, makes the Champions dream unattainable for aspiring organisations.
“We know that, as things have started to consolidate, the dream doesn’t feel as attainable for a lot of players who would love to be in VALORANT, would love to be in VCT, but it’s so hard that they don’t even give it a shot. So the whole point is to make the dream feel possible.”
The panel was taking place hours before the VALORANT Champions grand final between Fnatic and NRG. Ahead of the best-of-five, Fnatic IGL Boaster had put the pressure on upper-bracket qualifiers NRG, while the Americas side’s coach bonkar had said he always expected his side to perform well in Paris.
