Valorant Champions 2026 — the sixth edition of Valorant's world championship — runs from September 24 to October 18 in Shanghai, China, under the event theme 'Frag or Die'. Sixteen teams qualified through the four International Leagues: the top two from each territory's Stage 2 Playoffs plus the top two Championship Point earners per territory. The winner is crowned the 2026 Valorant world champion.
Format: the 16 teams are split into four GSL groups, all matches best-of-three. The top two from each group advance to an eight-team double-elimination playoff, with lower-bracket and grand finals played best-of-five. Matches take place at the Jing'an Sports Center (group stage and playoffs) with the top-four playoff rounds and grand final at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Why this matters: 2026 has already been a season of new champions — Nongshim RedForce took Masters Santiago and 100 Thieves won the Valorant event at the Esports World Cup — so no defending regional power is guaranteed anything in Shanghai. The VCT's own previews describe a field where new contenders have broken expectations twice at Masters this year. Champions decides the world champion and, with the VCT offseason typically following, forms the last major statement of the season.
All facts as of September 14, 2026, from valorantesports.com and the 2026 Champions references; the grand final winner is unknown until the event concludes in October.