Riot Games has set the 2027 calendar for the VALORANT Champions Tour’s 2027 season, with more than 50 tournaments across 15 cities. The schedule replaces long stretches of league play with a tournament-first season built around Opens, Kickoff, Cups, Masters and Champions. Riot says open qualification will return throughout the year, giving non-partner teams repeated routes into regional and global events; after Kickoff, advancement will depend on performance.[1][2]
The calendar opens with Kickoff from Jan. 14 to Feb. 7, with regional events in São Paulo, Berlin, Bangkok and Hangzhou. Masters Seoul is scheduled for Feb. 20–March 3. Regional Cup 1 runs April 29–May 23 in Mexico City, Warsaw, Manila and Wuhan, followed by Masters València from June 5–20.[2]
The second regional Cup window is Aug. 5–29, with events in Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul, Tokyo and Shanghai. The season is set to close in Austin, where Champions and the Game Changers Championship are scheduled for Sept. 16–Oct. 10. Riot says bringing Game Changers to Champions will place its finale before the VCT’s largest audience of the year. The Chinese announcement clarifies that Hangzhou, Wuhan and Shanghai are only the currently announced part of the VCT CN tour cities; Riot will share more once the remaining locations are settled.[1][2][4]
The first open qualifiers for the 2027 season begin in November 2026. Riot says qualifying open teams will receive guaranteed qualification payments and that additional Opens during the season will create new paths into Cups. The April format announcement said strong non-partner teams could accumulate championship points and competitive payments over the season, with exceptional teams potentially earning more than lower-ranked partner teams.[1][3]
Riot also announced an esports bundle in which the Ghost will replace the Classic.[1]
