What is the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT)?
The Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) is Riot Games' official global Valorant esports competitive circuit, launched in 2021 to bring structure and prestige to competitive Valorant. In 2023, Riot restructured the system into a franchised international league format — and in 2026, VCT continues as the definitive competitive Valorant ecosystem globally.
VCT 2026 features three international franchised leagues: VCT Americas (North and South America), VCT EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), and VCT Pacific (Asia-Pacific). The Pacific league is most relevant for Malaysian fans, featuring teams from South Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, and the broader Pacific region, including fan favourites like Paper Rex from Singapore.
The three international leagues feed into two global Masters events per year, before the year-end VCT Champions World Championship crowns the best Valorant team on the planet. EE9 Sports covers every VCT 2026 match across all three leagues with full betting markets and live in-play options.
VCT 2026 Format
🌏 International Leagues (Kickoff → Split 1 → Split 2)
Each of the three leagues runs two splits through the year with a Kickoff tournament at the start. Top performers earn points and qualify for Masters. Each match within the leagues is available for betting on EE9.
🏆 Masters Events (2 per year)
Two Masters events per year bring together top qualifiers from all three leagues for global LAN competition. Masters 1 typically happens in Q1, Masters 2 in Q2. Best-of-3 throughout, best-of-5 grand finals.
🥇 VCT Champions (World Championship)
The VCT Champions is the Valorant World Championship held at year-end (typically September). The pinnacle of VCT, featuring the best teams from all leagues competing for the Champions trophy — the most coveted title in Valorant.
VCT 2026 Season Schedule
Full confirmed calendar for all VCT 2026 global events — bet on every stage at EE9 Sports:
VCT 2026 Kickoff — All Leagues
Americas: Jan 15–Feb 16 | EMEA: Jan 20–Feb 15 | Pacific: Jan 22–Feb 15
Masters Santiago 2026 — Santiago, Chile
Feb 28 – Mar 15, 2026 | Prize Pool: $1,000,000 USD
VCT 2026 Stage 1 — All Leagues
Mar 31 – May 24, 2026 | League play across Americas, EMEA & Pacific
Masters London 2026 — London, England
Jun 6 – Jun 21, 2026 | Bet outrights now — odds available at EE9
VCT 2026 Stage 2 — All Leagues + Playoffs
Late July – August 2026 | Playoffs determine Champions qualifiers
VALORANT Champions 2026 — Shanghai, China
Sep 24 – Oct 18, 2026 | 16 teams | Prize Pool: $2,250,000 USD | World Championship
Top VCT 2026 Teams to Watch
These teams are expected to be the biggest forces in VCT 2026:
🦊 Paper Rex (Pacific)
Singapore's finest and the most beloved Pacific team globally. PRX's full-speed, aggressive all-or-nothing style creates incredible matches with massive betting variance. A fan favourite for all SEA bettors.
🦁 LOUD (Americas)
Brazil's powerhouse and perennial contenders for VCT Champions. LOUD's consistent results across both leagues and global events make them a regular fixture in any VCT outright winner bet.
🔥 Fnatic (EMEA)
One of the most iconic esports brands in the world, Fnatic's EMEA roster consistently competes at the highest global level. Their structured team play and deep agent pool make them dangerous at any event.
🐉 Edward Gaming (Pacific)
China's VCT flagship team with exceptional mechanical players. EDG's disciplined Chinese Valorant style brings a unique flavour that challenges the Pacific meta expectations.
💜 Team Vitality (EMEA)
French-backed organisation with top European talent. Vitality's methodical approach and strong IGL presence make them reliable in long series — ideal for handicap bettors.
VCT 2026 Betting Markets
Valorant's structure creates unique betting opportunities at the map level. EE9 Sports offers:
- Match Winner — Overall match result (best-of-3 or best-of-5)
- Map Winner — Individual map result within a series
- Pistol Round Winner — Which team wins the pistol round on each map
- First Blood — Which team gets the first kill of the match
- Knife Round Winner — Who wins the knife round (side selection)
- Asian Handicap — Round-based handicap on individual maps
- Total Rounds — Over/Under on total rounds played across the match
- Tournament Outright Winner — Bet on who wins Masters or Champions
- Live In-Play Betting — Map-by-map and round-by-round live markets
VCT 2026 Betting Tips
Map Pool Mastery
Map pool knowledge is critical in Valorant. Each team has strong and weak maps — analyse the veto process to predict which maps will be played and who holds the advantage.
Agent Meta Tracking
Track agent meta after each Valorant patch. Teams with wider agent pools adapt faster and have a tactical edge, especially in best-of-5 series where counter-drafts are essential.
Paper Rex Live Betting
PRX's aggressive all-in style means matches can swing dramatically. Their high-variance play creates exceptional live betting opportunities — wait for the momentum shift and pounce.
Pacific Pace on Totals
Pacific teams generally play faster-paced, higher-round-count games than EMEA counterparts. Factor this into total rounds markets — Pacific matches tend to go deep into overtime.