When does VCT 2026 start?

Once the holiday high has worn off and folks return to normal life, many will quickly be wondering when their favourite viewing spectacles will also come back. This is absolutely the case with most esports circuits, with the majority, the VALORANT Champions Tour included, running on an annual calendar. So, exactly when does the VCT 2026 start?

When does VCT 2026 start?

Start dates for VALORANT’s premier competitions vary depending on regions. All have a revamped Kickoff structure, implementing triple elimination brackets for the very first time. Each bracket will qualify one team to Masters Santiago — the season’s first global event — meaning a total of 12 teams will book a spot in Chile.

VCT Americas Kickoff – 15th January

The first league to get started in 2026, VCT Americas will begin on Thursday, January 15th. The competition will see VALORANT Champions winners NRG return to regional competition where they’ll be among the teams hoping to dethrone G2 Esports — winners of all three regional events in 2025.

The first round begins with Ascension winners ENVY starting their VCT campaign against a revamped Evil Geniuses.

VCT EMEA Kickoff – 20th January

Next up is EMEA, where a raft of roster moves leaves the top spot totally up for grabs. Vitality again enters with what could be considered a superteam, particularly with the reunion of Derke and Chronicle, while the newest second-place curse victims Fnatic will hope that Chron’s departure, like Derke’s, does not signal the end of their time on top in the region.

The league kicks off with NAVI taking on Karmine Corp on Tuesday, January 20th.

VCT Pacific Kickoff – 22nd January

VCT Pacific’s 2026 season will start a couple of days later on Thursday, January 22nd. Stage 2 winners, and finally global champions in Toronto, Paper Rex made the bold move to replace Rookie of the Year PatMen this off season, brining in invy from Team Secret to replace him.

The competition begins with invy-less Team Secret taking on Nongshim RedForce — the latter having requalified for VCT 2026 via Ascension.

VCT China Kickoff – 22nd January

Also starting on Thursday, January 22nd is VCT China Kickoff. The region saw three different winners, with EDG’s post-Kickoff downturn leaving the league wide open for new teams to aim for titles. But the league’s representatives struggled internationally, and improvement in 2026’s global events will be needed.

China Kickoff starts with All Gamers taking on Nova Esports in the first round of the upper bracket.

Kickoff brackets are set and the 2026 VCT season starts soon! Americas Jan 15th, EMEA Jan 20th, Pacific and China Jan 22nd. pic.twitter.com/HIsZLQDSgA

— Leo Faria (@lhfaria) December 29, 2025