VCT 2027 Becomes a Global Tour With More Than 50 Tournaments
GAME MODE Staff·Oct 17, 2026· 2m read
Riot is adding Opens and Cups, tying partner teams’ progress to results after Kickoff, and moving the Game Changers finale to Champions.
The Valorant Champions Tour is going on the road. Riot Games has outlined the 2027 season, which it calls the Global Tour, with more than 50 tournaments across 15 cities. The season is built from five kinds of event: Opens, Kickoff, Cups, Masters and Champions.
How the 2027 season changes
- Results over guarantees. Partner teams still start the year at Kickoff, but after that, advancement depends on results rather than guaranteed places.
- Money for open teams. They get more financial support, including guaranteed payments when they qualify.
- Game Changers moves to the main stage. The circuit will finish at Champions, putting its finale in front of the year’s largest VCT audience. That makes the São Paulo event starting on October 22 the last standalone Game Changers Championship.
- A new esports bundle. Even the in-game bundle is changing, with the Ghost taking over from the Classic.
Qualifying starts in November
You won’t have to wait for 2027 to see the new system in action. North America’s first Kickoff qualifier begins on November 5 and runs in three phases:
- Best-of-three single-elimination brackets
- A three-day Swiss stage
- A double-elimination playoff
Reaching Kickoff pays, too. In the Americas, the four non-partner teams that make it to Kickoff in São Paulo will each receive a $100,000 stipend.
Champions 2027 is headed to Austin
Riot’s companion video, “The VCT in 2027: Where We’re Headed,” confirms that Champions 2027 lands in Austin, Texas. We’ll add the Masters host cities once we’ve confirmed them.
